Fun fact, this is objectively harsher than the Great Firewall, which does not have any criminal codes against sharing outside information.
The EU is more pro-censorship than China.
bastion of free speech and democracy, everyone.
Unironically,
Ye Power Trippin’ Bastards
More like Leopards Ate My Face
this is the price for freedom of speech bro
Ah but you see, there’s no free speech in Russia. Posting anything could get you imprisoned by the orc regime. For that reason, it would have been authoritarian of us to not criminalise RT, actually.
Hope that makes sense 👍🇪🇺
I’m glad I don’t live in the EU
Are all Europeans as evil as their oligarchs that want to raze Russia since time immemorial?
If European people supported these things, there would be no need for censorship.
Europeans supported it until it started hurting them financially. Now that the EU and USA economy starts hurting they’re going to crank up the censorship because murdering those pesky non-Aryans is starting to become a lot less popular.
Do you think all European people are a hive mind like the Borg? There are many people here who followed the events in Ukraine from 2014. Especially the numerous ethnic Russians in Eastern Europe and Germany. However the mainstream media never reports about them. In many cases they were even criminalized for supporting Donbass and Russia.
If you only follow the news media, you will see what the European ruling class wants you to see and nothing more.
Are we doing the #NotAllEuropeans? It’s a generalization like how is talked about US “lefitsts”.
The overwhelming majority of Europeans don’t care about Ukrainians going into the meatgrinder. They don’t care about Palestine either. They keeping voting for whatever politician they believe will put 5 euros more in their pocket no matter how many non-Europeans have to die for it.
What do I know? Immigrant persecution, Neocolonialism, anti-Russia sentiment, Ziorovision, etc.
And the most obvious: Gaza is the outcome of European settlements in the Palestine. Something smells bad and this time it’s not European people in public transportation.
all westerners are also guilty of turning a blind eye to absurd levels of evil revealed by the epstein files and maxwell case; if they’re capable of ignoring literal baby farms to manufacture child fucking kompromat or genocides, then they will do whatever their oligarchs want them to do.
Removed by mod
Silence, drone strike lover
First time?
The EU would not need to do this if they were winning. This is desperate.
Winning WHAT?
The war in Ukraine? Duh? If Russia was losing, the EU wouldn’t bother censoring RT. They’re just words, and words don’t matter when the actual material realities on the ground erase whatever gains they could possibly make with propaganda.
That’s not how how propaganda works.
We’ve seen often enough that people don’t care about the actual truth once they’ve been influenced enough.
Again, that ban should reasonably cover most MSM in any state.
Hahaha hell yeah man it’s so funny when liberals think to tell communists “how propaganda works”
Ok… Show us the EU army then, where are they? How can such a block raise an army and no one hears about it, this is an amazing feat many would love to know the tricks of.
No EU citizen dies regularly over there (except the few loonies that go over there on their own). It’s all Russians and Ukrainians dying there.
I think that EU judicial décision is only there to mirror the decisions the Russian federation took. About média. Just to stay close to what the most advanced country in freedom (Federation of Russia) does with media sharing.
Why is not Fox News not banned then? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care about RT it’s a Russian controled media so their bias is clear. I don’t find them to be credible source. Just like Fox “entertainment” news.
Because the European countries like America. They’re just playing good cop to America’s bad cop to fool plebs into thinking they’re the good guys. That’s so obvious it hurts. Get the working class people from Europe to fight against the working class people from America and the rich win!
This seems like a nothing burger. The ban of RT is in place already, the new decision is not relating to whether it stays in place or not:
In the law, operators are forbidden from distributing content from a list of banned media, including RT. The question is not relating to the continuation of that ban, but on the word “operator” in particular; it essentially means that it’s an entity distributing the content from a commercial perspective.
The question is whether gifts & donations to a private (non-commercial) individual turn that private individual into a commercial distributor and thus an operator.
‘Must Article 2f(1) of [Regulation No 883/2014] be interpreted as meaning that operators, within the meaning of that provision, also include natural persons who, through a website operated by them, only generate income in the form of voluntary contributions from third parties (donations or gifts)?’
Cited in Judgement #16, page 6
And it follows in the conclusion:
[The law] must be interpreted as meaning that a natural person who operates a website by broadcasting on it content originating from legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex XV to Regulation No 833/2014, as amended, and derives from the operation of that website only income from voluntary contributions from third parties, in the form of donations or gifts, comes within the concept of ‘operator’ within the meaning of that provision
This is the conclusion on the last page of the judgement (is it me or the wording is pretty bad around “that website only income from”?)
The judgement also carefully qualifies why gifts & donations are qualified as income in #15
However, that court observes that the collection of private donations, which constitute gifts under civil law, is capable of being classified as a ‘professional activity’, where it is carried out to such an extent that the beneficiaries receive significant sums enabling them to finance, at least in part, their means of subsistence. In the present case, the appeal for donations appears to be designed to generate financial resources for the continued operation of the traugott-ickeroth website and therefore to constitute a sustainable source of income, which is characteristic of a professional activity
So essentially, the information itself can still be freely shared so long as it’s done without monetary support that can be qualified as “income”; they’re not further banning the information itself, simply closing a “loophole” around hidden commercial exploitation.
I don’t like the original law either (because the media list can be amended to practically include anything and anyone), but this is not changing much, and given the amount of the donations (60k in a year) it’s surprising that they thought it would not be considered commercial exploitation to begin with.
Honestly, if they had cut off donations early or capped them to their server costs, then the prosecution would have no recourse.
Edit: Cutoff sentence, wording
The ban of RT is in place already
How authoritarian of them
Thank you for this detailed context. On the one hand, that makes perfect sense: Closing a loop hole. On the other hand, it’s chilling how this could be extended to cover other media or, ultimately, other community-driven projects, like open source, which rely on donations to survive.
So essentially, the information itself can still be freely shared so long as it’s done without monetary support that can be qualified as “income”;
Wait till you hear abouty Radio Free Asia
This guy in the screenshot is an Elon simp. When I was still on the Nazi plaform I had to mute him. I wouldn’t trust anything he posts without doing my own validation.
He literally links to the document which you would’ve read before commenting if you actually cared about facts of the situation. What you’re very transparently trying to do here is throw shade so that people don’t bother looking at the facts. It’s quite telling that liberals care far more about who the source is rather than what the facts are. Explains a lot about the current state of western society. https://courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/r-v-staatsanwaltschaft-saarbrcken-cjeu-judgment.pdf
I did a little reading. What I found out is EU Article 2f(1) of Regulation 833/2014 prohibits operators from broadcasting, enabling, facilitating, or otherwise contributing to the broadcast of content from listed entities, including via internet platforms and distribution by any means. RT / Russia Today Germany is listed in Annex XV.
Essentially the court read the law and gave their opinion that reposting content on a site you run counts as a broadcast. You may have an issue with this, I can certainly see why even if I think that no system of mass media is ever going to be healthy for society again, but what I don’t really understand about some of the posting here is that there are many proud authoritarians of the communist variety getting upset about authoritarian laws. You throw the liberal slander at me but 1) I’m not even close to a liberal and 2) you are upset that the EU is banning the media outlet of one of the world most preeminent fascists (Putin)? I’m really very confused by what you think you stand for?
one of the world most preeminent fascists (Putin)?
The propaganda blitz surrounding the Ukraine war puts that of the Iraq war to absolute shame. Look at how fucking deranged people STILL are about this.
Putin is a fascist . It has nothing to do with Ukraine. I thought this 20 years ago too because he is a textbook fascist i.e. there is no separation of private/corporate enterprise and the state, he’s an authoritarian nationalist who installed a single‑party state, he brutally suppresses dissent and is overtly militaristic. He might pine for Soviet times but in reality he is just in it for himself. Another pathetic ego maniac of which we have many all over the world these days.
Workers are the state > workers own the means of production > fascism 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Workers own the state in modern Russia? lol
Good catch. 😂
ETA: Before I begin my day, I will say, Russia has no hegemony in production and doesn’t seem to be seeking it. The Communist Party isn’t in control, and they aren’t banned, either. In fact, they are active in government and the community, to the best of my understanding. Neither does Russia seek financial or territorial hegemony.
Ukraine is Western agitated, Western financed, doing Western bidding, that is, seeking to surround Russia with hostile forces that can weaken Russia, with an ultimate goal of making them another US vassal state. The Russian people are naturally opposed to this plan, and while Putin is a liberal, he’s certainly not ready to sell out his public to save himself.
Russia isn’t a single party state. Stop Just Saying Shit™
Of course… I totally forgot about all the other parties that have been in power since the fall of the USSR. My bad
I wish I could be as free as you and just change what words mean any time you get called out for lying with them
Is Japan a one- party state?
I’m not upset about anything here actually. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of the liberal west. Communists aren’t shy about the need for censorship because we recognize that some ideas are harmful. However, it is western liberals who preach free speech, but then do exactly the same thing as those they deride to be authoritarian whenever their own power structures feel threatened.
The fact that the court considers the source to be a problem rather than the content highlights that European society has turned into a cult where reality no longer matters, only narrative and ideology reign supreme.
That’s fair but if a specific source is a regular source of disinformation then you can understand blanket bans on said source. I do agree with your take on liberal free speech. Same as the free market. It’s only free when it’s benefitting the political in-tribe.
if a specific source is a regular source of disinformation then you can understand blanket bans on said source
So if it can be shown objectively that a given Western source repeatedly spreads disinformation about a given socialist/anti-Western country, you would support a blanket ban from the government of that country using the same logic you’re giving for supporting the EU’s blanket ban, right?
Riiiiight?
Exactly why I said there can be no healthy mass media environment. It’s bullshit from everyone from all angles all the way down.
You didn’t answer the question. Would you support a blanket ban of a news outlet by any government as long as a pattern of disinformation can be objectively shown? Like China or North Korea banning RFA, the news outlet with verifiably bullshit articles that even other Western outlets have debunked? Or is that privilege reserved for “the good guys” in your mind?
You commented this earlier:
what I don’t really understand about some of the posting here is that there are many proud authoritarians of the communist variety getting upset about authoritarian laws
You say you don’t understand I think you already have an answer. Is it accurate for me to say that you think it’s because we support pretty much anything done by a communist government against the West, and oppose anything done by Western liberal government against communist countries? I.e. we’re solely looking at who did something when deciding whether to support it instead of the merits of the thing itself? If so, I’m throwing that accusation right back at you. I think you blindly support pretty much anything Western governments do as long as it’s against one of the West’s enemies and blindly oppose anything communist governments do against the West.
Disinformation hasn’t been the problem with the particular source, it’s the fact that it is providing information that’s contrary to the narrative. The actual disinformation about the war has been coming from western source which keep telling us that Russian economy is about to collapse, that Russian army is pulling out chips from washing machines, that Russia is running out of missiles any day now, that Russia is isolated on the global stage, that Ukraine is doing great, that there are no fascists in Ukraine, and there is definitely no busification happening. The real issue here is that it’s western media that it’s western narrative that’s divergent from reality. And now it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide the fact that the war is going poorly, and its economic effect on Europe, so the EU is becoming very insecure.
This dualism you are promoting where there is a good side and a bad side, an honest actor and a dishonest actor etc is text book Hollywood propaganda. You’re so trapped in the western overton window you can’t even see it.
I think you might be talking about yourself here, cause nowhere did I say the west is the good guy here, nor have I suggested that there is a good side at all. What I actually said was that western media objectively puts out far more misinformation because the narrative it is promoting is at odds with reality. It’s not that Russian media is more honest, it’s just they don’t need to lie because Russia is winning the war.
Communists are not upset at any use of authority, but the authority of capitalists against workers. Communists want the working classes to have state authority. The idea that communists just love authority is liberal cope used to distract from the argument that the working classes specifically should have state power.
If communists don’t love authority then why promote a political system centred around it. There are literally thousands of different flavours but you chose this one.
Any ideology that supports the existence of a state at any point is “authoritarian.” What matters most is which class controls that authority. When the working classes control the state, as communists wish to establish (and have), this creates more freedom and quality of life for the working classes. The state is a tool, not an ideal.
Why do we need a state?
Because the state exists as long as classes exist, and classes will continue to exist until production and distribution is fully collectivized. This requires highly advanced productive forces and the full conquest of political power by the working classes, which is a far way off.
To resolve conflicts between the classes, the employers vs the employees
Essentially the court read the law and gave their opinion that reposting content on a site you run counts as a broadcast
Not quite, I made a comment here detailing the judgement; TLDR the law bans commercial distribution of RT content, and the court found that large sums of gifts & donations turn private individuals into commercial operators, thus banning them from distributing RT content. You can still operate a website that distributes RT content, so long as there are no monetary incentives to do so.
deleted by creator
Quite ironic to read this under a post decrying the sanctioning of information based on the author and not the content of the message.
Saying someone is unreliable source is a pretty massive difference from the state throwing them in jail.
RT isnt a news source, its a propaganda mouth piece for Putin. This isnt a restriction on freedom of speech, irs cutting off a source of blatant lies, that go unchallenged.
So then ban BBC and other state owned propaganda outlets. The BBC has been proven to spread disinformation about socialist countries and geopolitical adversaries to the west. Either commit to censoring disinformation, or commit to “free speech,” as it stands it’s just protecting fragile western narratives.
RT are a whole other level of insane. They are like infowars. Nothing but lies, not a shred of fact in anything they report. BBC are nowhere near the same level
Depends on the subject, actually. The BBC is more than happy to doctor footage and outright lie as long as it pertains to geopolitical adversaries. They frequently edit videos of China to give them a grayed-out filter, lmao.
Also, as a side-note, try not to use “insane” in that way, it’s ableist when used as a pejorative.
Same is true for Fox “news”… and I’d rather have a ban on them t.b.h.
Oh I agree with banning fox as well. They consistent in their lies.
And the BBC?
This isnt a restriction on freedom of speech, irs cutting off a source of blatant lies
Fucking incredible.
How “convenient” of the screenshot to not even mention that RT stands for “RussiaToday”: a website and organization that was proven to spread Russian propaganda, and is proven to be sponsored by the Russian state.
In reality, yes the EU resources are limited and you can’t bring down every individual post after going to court first. If the platform systematically does illegal stuff and spreads lies and propaganda, you ban the platform. That’s the only logical way.
So then ban BBC and other state owned propaganda outlets. The BBC has been proven to spread disinformation about socialist countries and geopolitical adversaries to the west. Either commit to censoring disinformation, or commit to “free speech,” as it stands it’s just protecting fragile western narratives.
The BBC is proven to spread western propaganda and is proven to be sponsored by the British state… Ban when?
Ban both?
Maybe less censorship and higher reporting standards?
Agreed
