Comment by joe_mamba
2 days ago
Jacques Baud (Swiss) and Xavier Moreau (French) citizens, got sanctioned by the EU[1] on the basis of "acting as mouthpieces for pro-Russian propaganda and spreading conspiracy theories". Sanctioning means asset freezes, debanking and travel bans, virtually a slow and painful sentence to homelessness and death since you won't be able to travel, have a bank account, a job, own or rent anything under sanctions.
I don't have a problem with them sanctioning people, I have a problem when it's not done by a judge but a snap decision done by bureaucrats without a public trial/hearing where the individuals get a chance to defend themselves for what they're accused of, especially when it's just for the act of speaking, even if we disagree with what they speak.
Because otherwise the EU is no different than a monarchic or totalitarian dictatorship who has people executed for speaking bad things against it, and there's nothing stopping them from doing the same to you, me and everyone else here for wrong speak against the crown's interests.
[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L...
Were they found to be guilty of “acting as mouthpieces for pro-Russian propaganda and spreading conspiracy theories"? If so, well…
They were not put on trial so they weren't found guilty of anything at all.
Nobody can be guilty of anything without a fair trial. Some bureaucrats power tripping acting as judge jury and executioners without trial is the definition of totalitarian tyranny.
Nobody, even law abiding citizens, wants to be under such an unaccountable legal system. Justifying it because it was used "only" against pro-Russians is insane. Today it's against them, tomorrow it will be against anyone who criticizes the EU leaders. That's how boiling the frog works. That's how fascists always did it.
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>virtually a slow and painful sentence to homelessness and death
OK, do you have information as to how close to homelessness and death these two are? Based on my reading I'm unsure regarding Baud, but my impression is Moreau is probably not significantly affected.
It's a terrible principle to think like this, though. People shouldn't be sanctioned because it might not be too bad in practice.
sure, but people shouldn't lie about what the current consequence of things are either. I'm pretty sure I'm closer to death and homelessness than Xavier Moreau is.
on edit: also I think the whole death and homelessness worry expressed seems sort of weird, because I think the normal order would be homelessness and death. I may die soon, but in that context I will not actually be worrying about homelessness. Maybe that's just me though.
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