The EU sanctioned me and my media outlet for covering Palestine protests in Germany. It’s part of Europe’s growing authoritarianism and militarism, cloaked in language of fighting disinformation and defending democracy.
by Hüseyin Dogru
Part 1
In May 2025, the European Union sanctioned me – a German journalist – for my reporting. My media platform, red., no longer exists. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone tried or convicted. Yet the EU froze my bank accounts and banned me from travelling under the sanctions regime they rolled out following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I have consistently opposed that war, so how does the EU claim I am linked to Russia? Through my reporting on pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin.
These sanctions are not just an attempt to silence me (they won’t succeed) – they are a form of extrajudicial punishment that marks a dangerous new frontier. The EU’s counter-disinformation policy, originally aimed at Russia, is being transformed into a political weapon against internal dissent.
My case is not an exception – it’s a warning. It comes at a moment when Europe not only continues its active support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but is sharply shifting to the authoritarian right, and is arming itself to the teeth at an alarming rate. All the while it escalates its fearmongering about fictitious threats from Russia, China, Iran and as ever: migrants and Muslims.
My case is not an exception – it’s a warning. It comes at a moment when Europe not only continues its active support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but is sharply shifting to the authoritarian right, and is arming itself to the teeth at an alarming rate. All the while it escalates its fearmongering about fictitious threats from Russia, China, Iran and as ever: migrants and Muslims.
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