Nayib Bukele and Crypto Leaders: “There is no Censorship and Taxation in El Salvador”, after Telegram CEO’s Arrest
El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele reiterated that there is no censorship in the country, following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France. Nayib Bukele joined the crypto community in accusing France of “censorship,” “state control,” or “repression” of the industry. Nayib Bukele’s words were met with enthusiasm, with Elon Musk calling the message “powerful” and Stacy Herbert recalling the country as a “beacon of freedom”.
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, reiterated that there is no censorship in the Central American country following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for allegedly “lacking moderators in the app that allowed criminal activity” and invited more companies to set up shop in El Salvador.
Crypto leaders responded to Nayib Bukele’s post on X, criticizing the “lack of freedom and democracy” in Europe in the wake of recent regulations against cryptocurrency companies. The creation of a “crypto insult nation” was even advocated by some traders.
Nayib Bukele Rules Out Acting Like France and Arresting Crypto Leaders
Nayib Bukele did not comment on the arrest of Pavel Durov in France, but he did join the discontent of the crypto community, who accused “censorship”, “state control” or “repression by the EU to crypto” and recalled that El Salvador does not require property tax, you can exercise freedom of expression and “does not arrest” entrepreneurs.
“El Salvador is not only the safest country in the Western Hemisphere, but we also guarantee that you will not be arrested, censored or have your property confiscated for exercising your right to freedom of expression. And there is no property tax,” Bukele said in X.
The president’s words make sense, as El Salvador has encouraged investment in technology and Web 3.0. The training of 80,000 civil servants in bitcoin literacy was announced a few days ago. Furthermore, Turkish conglomerate Yilport Holding announced to invest $1.6 billion to build Bitcoin City in the Central American country.
“Move to El Salvador. Europe has harshly criticized El Salvador in recent years, and yet today it truly seems that the once cradle of freedom and democracy is slowly falling back into a dark age,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.
Crypto Leaders Highlight “Attack on Freedom of Speech”
The crypto community responded enthusiastically to Nayib Bukele’s words. Elon Musk called the message “awesome,” while Stacy Herbert recalled that El Salvador is a “beacon of freedom. She ironically noted that they are “5 to 10 minutes from Austin by rocket”. In the meantime, others suggested that El Salvador make some changes to “serve the whole industry.”
“It would be great to build a crypto island nation. Pick a place with temperatures below 25 degrees all year round. Economy based on the Austrian economy. Free market. Walkable cities. Easy trade permits. Tall buildings. Open parks. Coffee culture. Welcoming street food. Doing. It will be the best service for the cryptocurrency world,” said a trader in X.
“You can be arrested in Ireland, Britain, Canada and Brazil (among other Countries) if you advocate for having a safe Country where you won’t be arrested for exercising your right to free speech…what is happening right now is pure evil. We need more Nayib Bukele’s in the World,” pointed out another trader in X.
It’s worth remembering that Telegram’s growing popularity has brought it under scrutiny in several European countries. “Concerns” about security and data breaches on Telegram have been expressed even in France. Commenting on Pavel Durov’s arrest in France, Elon Musk ironically said: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you get executed for liking a meme,” highlighting concerns about freedom of speech.
By Audy Castaneda