Moscow says the EU is “stomping out” the idea of freedom of speech by cracking down on the Russian broadcaster
Moscow will apply “similar reciprocal” measures to Western media working in Russia in response to the ban of RT France from broadcasting in the EU, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. This comes after the EU’s top court on Wednesday upheld a decision to prohibit RT France from airing its shows, accusing the channel of unfair coverage of the Ukraine conflict.
“The encroachment on the freedom of speech, the freedom of the media, in European states, including France, is both concerning and regrettable,” Peskov told reporters. “The Europeans are stomping out the same ideals they’re imposing across the globe.”
Peskov promised “reciprocal pressure” on Western media working in Russia. “We will similarly not allow them to work in our country. There won’t be a soft approach to this issue.”
Earlier in the day, the European Court of Justice upheld a ban on RT France from broadcasting its content in the bloc. The judges ruled that the channel was “not capable of demonstrating an overall balanced treatment by the latter of information” concerning the conflict.
Emmanuel Piwnica, RT France’s lawyer, said the verdict demonstrates the “disregard for the freedom of expression any news media must have.”
Head of RT France Xenia Fedorova said in a statement that the ruling shows that the bloc’s judiciary “cannot or will not oppose” the will of politicians.
“European politicians have chosen the path that is against democratic values on which Europe is based, such as the freedom of expression and diversity of opinion,” Fedorova said. “Despite the censorship, RT France will continue to bring different perspectives on the news, wherever it is broadcast.”
The European Council banned the broadcast of shows produced by RT and Sputnik, another Russian state-funded news agency, in March, citing “systematic information and manipulation and disinformation” in the coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The decision was made shortly after Russia launched its military operation against the neighboring state in late February.
Western politicians have long accused RT of waging a propaganda campaign at the behest of the Kremlin. RT denies these allegations.
Earlier this year, the Russian authorities ordered German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle to close its office in Moscow. The move came after Berlin banned RT’s German-language sister channel RT DE from broadcasting in the country.
In response to bans and restrictions introduced by Western countries on several Russian media outlets, Moscow also blocked the websites of some Western state-funded outlets, including the BBC and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com
