Justice
The Ban on a Story Can Never Be Normal
Trouw argues that books foster empathy, a quality under threat by rising hostile rhetoric and censorship efforts globally. In the US, nearly 7,000 books were removed from libraries in the 2024-2025 academic year, often due to topics like gender and racism, while Germany's AfD promotes cultural politics against perceived self-hatred. Dutch booksellers face intimidation and subtle pressures, prompting PEN America and the Royal Booksellers Association to call for legal protections against state bans. The editorial concludes that banning stories is never normal and urges vigilance to protect intellectual culture and freedom of expression.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's