Donald Trump’s administration bans two Brits from the US for expressing views
Two Britons are among individuals banned by the US accused of seeking to ‘suppress American viewpoints they oppose’.
Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford have been told they cannot enter the nation following new directives by the Trump administration.
In a written document, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that a total of five Europeans had been barred as their entry would risk ‘potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences’.
It claims that the five people had organised efforts to ‘coerce’ online platforms to censure viewpoints they did not like.
Mr Ahmed, who leads the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, is now suing the Trump administration over the decision to ban him.
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The former Labour adviser, who lives in Washington DC, said: ‘My life’s work is to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media and AI and fight the spread of antisemitism online.
‘That mission has pitted me against big tech executives – and Elon Musk in particular – multiple times.
‘I am proud to call the United States my home. My wife and daughter are American, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my home country.’
Ms Melford is the co-founder and executive director of the Global Disinformation Index.
A spokesperson for the GDI said: ‘The Trump administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor and silence voices they disagree with. Their actions today are immoral, unlawful and un-American.’
Also affected by the ban is former European Commission tech regulator Thierry Breton, who labelled the latest move as a ‘witch hunt’.
In a statement, the European Commission said it was seeking ‘clarification’ from US authorities.
It said: ‘The European Commission strongly condemns the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world.
‘The EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments.
‘If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.’
The other two sanctioned Europeans are Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, the co-leaders of German charity HateAid.
Under Secretary of State Sarah B Rogers clarified that the five listed names were not the end and that more people could end up thrown on a travel ban if deemed a threat.
She said that while the ‘targets’ were foreign, some had ‘collaborated with US bureaucrats on Murthy-style speech suppression’.
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