DISINFO: Borrell: Dissent is prohibited by law in Europe
SUMMARY
In today's Europe, people think simply: everything that is stated by the Russian media, Russian journalists, and on behalf of Russia is deliberately false.
By banning the work of Russian media in the EU, "we are not attacking freedom of speech, but protecting it," Josep Borrell, one of the EU's top leaders, said at a conference on combating disinformation in Brussels.
So, the ban on a different (the one that the EU does not like) point of view - it turns out, is not censorship of words and thoughts, but, on the contrary, freedom of both.
No nuances foreseen: everything that is stated by Russian media, Russian journalists, and on behalf of Russia is deliberately false.
Dissent, which Borrell himself floridly dubbed the "war of narratives" (or, in simple terms, polemics), is now prohibited by law in Europe.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about discrimination against Russian media in the West trying to portray Russian outlets as champions of free speech and any criticism of their reporting as attacks on freedom of media and expression.
This statement was the reaction from pro-Kremlin outlets to HRVP Josep Borrell's speech on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in Brussels on 7 February 2023. Josep Borrell and all other members of the EU leadership constantly underline that freedom of thought, open active democracy is to be safeguarded. But not open to malign manipulation.
In the “2022 World Press Freedom index” (by Reporters Without Borders) European countries are in the first places. This illustrates a free environment. For comparison: Russia holds in this ranking 155th position (between 180 countries).
In the “Freedom in the World” ranking (by Freedom House), European countries are evaluated as free countries. Russia belongs to the group of non-free countries.
The Russian outlets RT, Sputnik, RIA-Novosti, Baltnews and others, are well-known channels for spreading Kremlin-backed disinformation; several are directly financed from the Russian Federation state budget. Many cases of disinformation published in these media outlets are debunked in the EU vs DISINFO database. The Council of the EU has initiated the process of suspending the broadcasting licenses of the Russian TV channels NTV, REN TV, Rossiya 1 and Channel One. In March 2022, the broadcast and distribution of the content of RT English, RT France, RT Spanish and RT Germany, as well as Sputnik TV channels was banned in all countries of the EU.
Accusations of censorship and attacks against freedom of expression are a recurring pro-Kremlin technique to defend the illicit actions of Russia’s state-sponsored disinformation outlets after the western authorities adopt measures against them. Claims of “interference” are also frequently raised to deflect any criticism of Russian authorities by international media.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Washington and Brussels implement an information war against the people of Russia and Belarus, that RT and Sputnik are repeatedly accused without evidence, that Western media suppress all facts and opinions that differ from official narratives, that the reason behind sanctioning RT in Latvia is still unclear or that Western countries are persecuting Russian media.
See also other pro-Kremlin disinformation cases targeting HRVP Josep Borrell.