The balance of interests “tilts in favor” of the EU Council which banned the Russian broadcaster, the court said
The European Union’s Court of Justice has refused to “urgently” consider RT France’s request to temporarily suspend a broadcasting ban imposed on it by the European Council.
The court announced on Wednesday that a request to speed up the consideration of RT France’s lawsuit has been rejected.
“The President of the Court considers in this respect that the information provided does not allow us to assess whether the damage invoked has a social dimension,” the court said in statement.
The French version of the RT TV channel was banned from broadcasting in the European Union in early March, following the launch of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. The outlet protested the EU Council’s decision, saying that the censorship would lead to “dramatic” economic, financial, and human consequences. It also asked that its request to lift the ban be urgently assessed.
The court said RT France had refrained from “explaining its financial situation” and had not provided “specific figures” to support its claims about the “the serious and irreparable nature of its financial loss.”
Regarding reputational damage that resulted from the EU Council’s decision, the court refuted this, arguing that the channel had been labeled as “Russian state-controlled media” even before the ban and damage to its reputation was done.
RT France’s argument that banning the channel contradicts democratic principles of free speech was also not enough to persuade the court, which concluded that the case was not one requiring “urgency.”
It also stated that “the balance of interests in question tilts in favor of the Council” since the measures imposed on RT “relate to the need to protect member states against disinformation and destabilization campaigns” which the EU has accused RT of carrying out.
The court concluded, however, that “given the exceptional circumstances,” it would rule according to an “accelerated procedure,” so that the broadcaster would get a response “as soon as possible.”
RT France Editor-in-Chief Ksenia Fedorova condemned the tribunal’s response, saying that the decision not to “fast-track” the outlet’s lawsuit was taken by the court’s president “single-handedly and without a hearing.”
She also said that, among the reasons behind its refusal for an urgent consideration of RT’s claim, was the fact that the EU “does not prevent broadcasting outside the European Union, including in French-speaking Africa,” or the implementation of the “other activities” of RT France in the EU, in addition to broadcasting.
Another lawsuit by RT France will be considered by the Grand Chamber of the EU Tribunal, Fedorova said.
The European Council’s decision to ban RT France was condemned by the French National Union of Journalists, which called it “a dangerous precedent for the freedom of the press in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Fedorova also said that several Russian employees of RT France have had their personal payroll accounts blocked by Societe General bank.
“This is real discrimination based on nationality. France is hitting another bottom,” she wrote on Telegram, later saying that the bank would unblock the accounts within one or two days following some “checks.”
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
