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 3 - How a German media smear campaign became the EU’s crackdown blueprint
Just days after our coverage of the pro-Palestine student occupation of Humboldt University in late May 2024, German newspaper, Tagesspiegel, alleged—without evidence – that we were coordinating protests in service of Russia’s goal to destabilize Europe.
By September, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited Tagesspiegel as proof that red. was a covert influence operation. A month later, the EU expanded its anti-Russia sanctions regime to classify “hybrid threats” – now including disinformation – as punishable offenses.
Within days, taz became the first outlet to equate us with a military threat to Germany – just as this framing began to serve as a pretext for sanctions. Its headline, describing red. as part of Moscow’s “hybrid war” in Berlin, once again cited our pro-Palestine protest coverage as the main basis for this dangerous accusation. The piece effectively put a target on our backs – one that would soon be taken up by the EU’s opaque security apparatus.
By September, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited Tagesspiegel as proof that red. was a covert influence operation. A month later, the EU expanded its anti-Russia sanctions regime to classify “hybrid threats” – now including disinformation – as punishable offenses.
Within days, taz became the first outlet to equate us with a military threat to Germany – just as this framing began to serve as a pretext for sanctions. Its headline, describing red. as part of Moscow’s “hybrid war” in Berlin, once again cited our pro-Palestine protest coverage as the main basis for this dangerous accusation. The piece effectively put a target on our backs – one that would soon be taken up by the EU’s opaque security apparatus.
In March 2025, red. was listed in the European External Action Service’s annual Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) report. Two months later, I was sanctioned.
The process is disturbingly circular: media outlets publish unverified claims; officials then cite those reports to justify crackdowns; and the same outlets report those crackdowns as confirmation – framing their “suspects” in language so extreme that invites extrajudicial repression. No charges. No court. No evidence.
The process is disturbingly circular: media outlets publish unverified claims; officials then cite those reports to justify crackdowns; and the same outlets report those crackdowns as confirmation – framing their “suspects” in language so extreme that invites extrajudicial repression. No charges. No court. No evidence.
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