Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
campaigners against two britains false news And Hate speech The UK government has reaffirmed its stance of “upholding the right to free speech” after being accused of trying to “censor” Americans online.
Imran Ahmed, former Labor adviser and aide to Sir keir starmer who now heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), and Claire Melford, CEO of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), have been labeled “radical activists” by the Trump administration.
The pair were among five Europeans, including European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who were barred from entering the US.
U.S. Secretary of State marco rubio He said he had led “organized efforts to force American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose”.
He added: “These radical activists and armed NGOs have escalated censorship actions by foreign states – in each case targeting American speakers and American companies.”
Mr Ahmed was previously an aide to Labor minister Hilary Benn and Sir Keir’s influential chief of staff Morgan McSweeney served as a director at CCDH until 2020. He is reportedly based in the group’s Washington office and would therefore face deportation from the country as a result of the visa ban.
The visa ban is the latest step in a US campaign aimed at European rules regulating social media. Trump officials have ordered US diplomats to set up a protest European UnionThe landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to combat hate speech, misinformation and disinformation, but Washington says it stifles free speech and imposes costs on tech companies.
Former French business executive Thierry Breton, who served as European Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019-2024, was among those now banned from the US.
Two senior people from the German non-profit HateAid were also denied visas.
Following the ban, the UK government said it was “fully committed to upholding the right to freedom of expression”, with a spokesperson adding: “While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions that are working to keep the internet free from the most harmful exposure.”
“Social media platforms should not be used to disseminate child sexual abuse material, incite hatred and violence, or spread fake information and videos for that purpose”.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said it “strongly condemns the US decision”, adding: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a core value shared with the United States across the democratic world”.
president of france Emmanuel Macron Said: “These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty”. He said the EU’s digital rules would “ensure fair competition between platforms, without targeting any third country, and ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online”.
He said in another statement on the social media platform X that he had spoken to Mr Breton and “thanked him for his important contribution to the service of Europe”.
Germany’s Justice Ministry, meanwhile, said the two Germans targeted had received “support and solidarity” from the government. He said the visa restrictions are unacceptable and added: “Anyone who describes this as censorship is misrepresenting our constitutional system”.
Terror law watchdog Jonathan Hall Casey said the US imposition of sanctions was an “important step”.
The independent reviewer of terrorism legislation told Times Radio: “Sanctions are generally reserved for serious matters of foreign policy where a country feels its own interests are being seriously threatened or where the world order feels threatened.”