We hoped MEPs would side with citizens. But what we got instead was truly shameful.
Both parliamentary committees voted to endorse the Link Tax AND censorship machinery — ignoring tens of thousands of EU citizens and caving to pressure from industry lobbyists.
The details are particularly unsettling. The Link Tax in the latest version now applies to ‘offline’ publications and journals - something academics are not even asking for! It would make open access publishing virtually impossible.
This all amounts to a chilling effect on the spread of research, news and knowledge.
Those MEPs who voted for the Link Tax may believe that they have got away with it — We need to show they will face consequences and accountability.