US Denies Visas to European Activists Accused of Pressuring Tech Platforms to Suppress Free Speech
The US government has denied visas to five individuals, including British campaigners Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, accusing them of attempting to coerce US technology platforms to suppress free speech. Among those denied visas are a French ex-EU commissioner, Thierry Breton, and two German HateAid leaders, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.
Imran Ahmed leads the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Clare Melford heads the Global Disinformation Index (GDI). Both were described by the Trump administration as radical activists. The UK government reaffirmed its commitment to free speech following these developments, while European leaders Emmanuel Macron and Kaja Kallas condemned the US measures.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the visa denials as a response to global efforts to curtail speech, opposing extraterritorial censorship and referencing a "global censorship-industrial complex." Ahmed has connections to senior Labour figures in the UK; he has advised Hilary Benn, and Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, has served as a CCDH director. The US labeled Ahmed a collaborator with the Biden administration.
Sarah B. Rogers, US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, accused the GDI of using US taxpayer funds to promote censorship and blacklist American speech. A GDI spokesperson condemned the sanctions as an authoritarian attack on free speech.
Thierry Breton, former European Commission tech regulator, was called the 'mastermind' behind the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) by the US State Department; the Act is seen as prompting moderation activity on platforms. Breton has openly clashed with Elon Musk over EU regulations, including when the European Commission fined Musk's platform X €120 million for its blue-tick system. Musk’s platform also blocked European Commission advertisements, which Breton publicly responded to.
The two German HateAid leaders described the US visa denials as repression, asserting they would not be intimidated. HateAid is a German organization cited by the US State Department as involved in enforcing the EU's DSA.
