Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Five individuals, including two British campaigners, have been refused US visas following accusations from the State Department that they attempted to pressure American technology companies into restricting free speech online. Among those denied entry are Imran Ahmed, former Labour adviser and current head of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), and Clare Melford, CEO of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI). The Trump administration labeled both as “radical activists.” Additionally, a former French EU commissioner and two leaders from a Germany-based organization focused on combating online hate also faced visa denials.
The response from European political figures has been swift and critical. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the move as “intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty,” while Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, called the decision “unacceptable and an attempt to challenge our sovereignty.” In contrast, a UK government spokesperson emphasized the country’s dedication to free speech, stating, “While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the internet free from the most harmful content.”
The US administration has described these actions as a countermeasure against those campaigning to impose limits on American tech firms. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the individuals of belonging to what he termed a “global censorship-industrial complex,” underscoring President Trump’s “America First” policy which opposes extraterritorial interference in American free speech. Rubio added, “Extraterrestrial overreach by foreign censors targeting American speech is no exception.”
Regarding the individuals involved, Imran Ahmed leads the CCDH, an organization advocating for government intervention against online hate speech and misinformation. He has connections to prominent Labour politicians, having been an aide to Hilary Benn and worked with Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. US authorities also described Ahmed as a “collaborator” due to CCDH’s alleged cooperation with the Biden administration. Clare Melford, founder of the GDI, which monitors disinformation spread, faced accusations from US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers that GDI used American taxpayer funds to encourage censorship. The GDI rebutted these claims, labeling the visa sanctions as “an authoritarian attack on free speech” and “an egregious act of government censorship.”
Other notable figures included in the ban are Thierry Breton, former European Commission tech regulator and “mastermind” behind the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which enforces content moderation on social media. The DSA has sparked controversy, particularly among some US conservatives who believe it suppresses right-wing views, a claim Brussels denies. Breton has had public disputes with Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, especially regarding compliance with EU rules. The European Commission recently fined X €120 million for a misleading verification system, leading Musk’s platform to block the Commission’s advertisements. Breton responded to the visa ban by tweeting, “To our American friends: Censorship isn’t where you think it is.”
Two other individuals affected were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, CEOs of HateAid, a German organization the US credited with helping enforce the DSA. They described the visa denials as “an act of repression by a government that is increasingly disregarding the rule of law and trying to silence its critics by any means necessary,” affirming they would not be intimidated by accusations intended to “silence those who stand up for human rights and freedom of expression.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.