DISINFO: RT was banned in France without any legal basis or evidence
SUMMARY
In an article published on the official website, RT France said: "In complete contradiction to the principles of the right to information and freedom of the press, this decision [France banning RT] sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression in France and for citizens' access to full information."
"Without any legal basis and without providing evidence of the errors it accuses us of and without action, the French government has censored media whose editorial line is not favoured not only since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine but in general for our coverage of the news, as evidenced by our coverage of the yellow vest movement, for example".
RESPONSE
A pro-Kremlin narrative to whitewash its media while trying to portray Russian outlets as truthful despite its evident manipulations and promotion of disinformation.
Our platform, EUvsDisinfo, which was only established in late 2015 to identify, compile, and expose disinformation cases originating in pro-Kremlin outlets that are spread across the EU and Eastern Partnership countries, has harnessed more than 13600 samples of pro-Kremlin disinformation messages, mainly from Sputnik and RT.
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.
RT (Russia Today) and Sputnik are the two flagships of Russia’s campaign to influence international public opinion with disinformation and manipulation. Read our analysis describing three fundamental differences between these outlets and what is normally perceived as independent journalism.
Both outlets are being banned inside the European Union for “systematic disinformation” over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell describe their work as "a significant and direct threat to the Union's public order and security."
Contrary to the claim of “a dangerous precedent”, this would be the second time the French Authority for the regulation of audiovisual and digital communication (Arcom) cut the signal of a channel. In 2004, France terminated the broadcasting licence of the Lebanese channel Al-Manar.
And according to Article 42 of the French broadcasting law that governs media controlled "by a foreign State or placed under the influence of this State", it is possible to terminate the agreement "if the service .. undermines the fundamental interests of the Nation, including the regular functioning of its institutions, in particular by the dissemination of false information".
Read more about the legality of the EU ban in this clarification by “Liberation” newspaper.
Read similar cases which claim that only Russian outlets tell the truth; or that Russia does not need to take part in the information war; or that RT and Sputnik are more popular than Western Media; or that Facebook violates freedom of speech by blocking Sputnik Arabic; or that people who say that RT is not independent of the Kremlin are wrong and should be condemned; or that Removal of RT channels on YouTube is an obvious manifestation of censorship.