Freedom as we used to conceive of it is under pressure from all sides. The multiple crises of recent years have exposed the deep injustices underpinning our democratic systems. Technology-enabled surveillance and manipulation are undermining fundamental notions of individual autonomy. Meanwhile, far-right forces and revisionist global powers are eroding civil and social liberties, waging fierce political fights over the meaning of freedom and positioning themselves as its true defenders. Despite being rooted in a radical critique of all forms of authority and domination, the Green movement is currently losing ground in this battle. Given freedom’s enduring emotional appeal and power to mobilise, the outcome of this struggle over meaning and ownership is likely to have profound and lasting consequences.