DISINFO: EU introduces censorship ahead of European Parliament elections
SUMMARY
The European Parliament's actions ahead of the elections are a clear attempt to control the official narrative by labelling any reports that do not conform to it as 'disinformation.' The EU is aggressively suppressing free speech both online and offline.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative targeting the upcoming EU elections and accusing the European Union of inventing or exaggerating Russian interference for political reasons.
This case of disinformation is based on decisions of the European Parliament (EP), which are aimed at limiting the scale of Russian influence ahead of the European elections on June 6-9, 2024. In particular, the narratives are directed against two resolutions of the European Parliament dated February 8 and April 25, 2024 - both documents report a number of revealed attempts by the Kremlin to interfere in the democratic processes in the European Union.
According to investigations, Moscow recruits some members of the European Parliament and other European institutions as agents of influence, and also finances some European political parties, which then act as mouthpieces for Russian propaganda, promoting Russian interests in the EU.
Given the body of evidence of Russian interference in European democracies, the European Parliament called on the EU Council to introduce new sanctions not only against pro-Kremlin media, but also against people responsible for Russian disinformation campaigns in the EU. The EP also proposes to improve the internal security culture of the Parliament by conducting thorough investigations to assess possible cases of foreign interference.
Combating Russian disinformation has nothing to do with an “attack on free speech.” On May 3, 2024, the independent organisation Reporters Without Borders presented its annual World Press Freedom Index. According to the study, the countries with the highest freedom of speech ratings and the countries that respect the principles of independent journalism are located in Europe. The first thirty countries in the ranking are predominantly made up of countries of the European Union.
At the same time, Russia, which actively promotes anti-European and anti-democratic narratives, ranked 162nd in the World Press Freedom Index. According to the document, Russia continues its crusade against independent journalism, and the Kremlin's malign political influence extends all the way to the European Union.
Read also related cases such as: EU elections are not fair, or Europe is mortal, but only the Europe embodied by its current liberal elites, or European integration is just another mask for fascism.