In recent weeks, Brazil’s decision to ban access to Elon Musk’s platform X has ignited a storm of outrage. Commentators are sounding alarms, warning that this act of censorship might presage similar actions in the United States. Yet, as the global focus turns to Brazil, the inconvenient truth is that censorship has long been a pervasive issue in the US, particularly for those of us advocating for Texas independence. The irony is not lost on us: those now decrying censorship should have been paying attention to our ongoing struggle.

The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) has been at the forefront of this battle for years. Our experience with censorship is not a recent development but a long-standing reality. If critics had been more attentive to our warnings, they might have recognized the signs of censorship that are now becoming a global concern.

Our struggles with censorship extend beyond social media. For years, TNM supporters have reported that our emails frequently end up in spam folders, while their inboxes are inundated with irrelevant or misleading content. Seriously, check your SPAM folder. This isn’t a coincidence but part of a broader strategy to stifle our communication. Email service providers have been complicit in this suppression, undermining our ability to reach our supporters effectively. This issue has hindered our outreach and has been a persistent source of frustration for our community.

In response to these challenges, we were compelled to develop our own internal communications system: TNM Social. TNM Social was created as a direct countermeasure to the suppression we faced from mainstream platforms. This platform allows us to communicate and organize without interference from external forces. It stands as a testament to our resilience and determination to maintain our voice despite the attempts to silence us.

The broader strategy behind this censorship is clear. The regime aims to disrupt our organization by obstructing our communication channels and limiting our ability to mobilize. This tactic is not unique to TNM but is part of a larger pattern of suppression seen across various movements and causes. The intent is to isolate and fragment dissenting voices, preventing us from coming together and challenging the status quo.

The recent outrage over Brazil’s censorship is both ironic and infuriating. The same commentators who are now alarmed by Brazil’s actions have been notably silent about the censorship faced by TNM. Our experiences with social media giants like Facebook, who have actively suppressed our content details here, and the harsh tactics of Amazon, which banned our book “TEXIT” during Banned Books Week read more, should have served as a wake-up call. Instead, these incidents were met with indifference, as if our struggles were an isolated case rather than a harbinger of broader trends.

The hypocrisy of the current discourse is glaring. While commentators now express shock and concern over censorship, they have largely ignored the systemic suppression that has been undermining our cause for years. Our warnings about the erosion of free speech were dismissed as alarmist, yet the patterns we identified have only grown more evident as global discussions on censorship intensify.

It is not enough to react with outrage only when high-profile figures or platforms are affected. The real issue lies in the systemic nature of censorship and its impact on various movements and causes. The TNM’s experience should serve as a stark reminder of the need for vigilance and proactive defense of free speech. The fight against censorship is about reacting to specific incidents and recognizing and addressing the broader patterns that threaten our ability to communicate and organize.

As we reflect on the ongoing outrage over Brazil’s actions, we must also confront the lessons of our struggles. Censorship is not a distant threat but a present and pressing reality. The TNM’s experience with suppression, from email censorship to social media bans, highlights the urgent need for a united and informed stance against this pervasive issue. As I recently commented to Newsweek, if it behaves like an authoritarian regime and imposes censorship like an authoritarian regime, it’s probably an authoritarian regime.

The recent focus on Brazil’s censorship should be a catalyst for greater awareness and action. The fight against censorship is not just about individual cases but about defending the fundamental right to free speech. The lessons of TNM’s battles against suppression underscore the importance of remaining vigilant and proactive in safeguarding our ability to communicate and organize. Let this be a reminder that the erosion of free speech is not just a hypothetical concern but a real and ongoing struggle that demands our unwavering commitment.