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Less extreme, but similar, a French researcher on his way to a conference was denied entry and his laptop and phone were searched and confiscated: > The source
by byroot 2y ago
Less extreme, but similar, a French researcher on his way to a conference was denied entry and his laptop and phone were searched and confiscated:
> The source said the scientist in the space sector underwent a random check on
> arrival, during which his work computer and personal phone were searched, and
> messages referring to Donald Trump's administration's treatment of scientists
> were found. Authorities told him they had found messages "that express hatred
> towards Trump and can be qualified as terrorism," the source said.
> His professional and personal equipment was confiscated and he was sent back
> to Europe the following day.
[0] https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/03/20/french-researcher-denied-entry-to-us-for-expressing-personal-opinion-on-trump-policies_6739346_4.html https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/03/20/f...
- Sharlin 2y agoOdd, I thought this administration was all about free speech. I guess there will be additional ESTA questions soon asking whether you have ever criticized Trump or Big Tech.
- akie 2y agoFor me, not for thee.
- veidr 2y agoAlthough less egregious at a glance, as a US citizen, I think that is pretty extreme and unprecedented in my lifetime (I'm 50) :-|
- Sharlin 2y agoSimilar things did happen after 9/11.
- ty6853 2y agoAnd people were outraged, then it became status quo. Now getting fondled by the TSA is passively accepted and hardly anyone writes about it anymore.
- sorcerer-mar 2y agoPerhaps because people can understand the difference between a pat-down and "fondling" and the role that it plays in maintaining physical security of literally every secure location on earth. They're upset about this because, likewise, they understand the role that "hassle and detain people who disagree with Dear Leader" plays in literally every autocracy on earth.
- ty6853 2y agoAh but you don't understand the role this plays in maintaining physical security of literally every secure location on earth, comrade.
- sorcerer-mar 2y agoThe thing about due process rights is that even actual terrorists who openly admit to terrorism get them :) Under the Constitution, it's during due process where the state must prove "the role this plays in maintaining physical security."
- ty6853 2y agoDue process is what, government systematically searching everyone flying internally (often referring large cash for seizure by DEA etc) in the US without due process describing the alleged offense and the items being searched? Americans are frogs being cooked.
- sorcerer-mar 2y agoYou can fly internally without going through TSA whenever you want!
- veidr 2y agoI take your point, because violations of the law and constitutional rights did happen then, too. But I don't think the magnitude or key charactersistics are quite the same. Post-9/11, I mean you had to expect a freak-out. Marginal victory in a peaceful election... there's no external threat here that makes it make sense beyond "democratic country regresses toward fascism".
- dathinab 2y agoand never stopped happening if you only look at the outlines but the scale at which it happens, the wide use of dehumanizing language (e.g. calling foreigners "aliens") and the violence applied are novel for recent history (not new if you go back far enough in history, I mean the US has a lot of dark spots in history they mostly pretend never happened)
- N19PEDL2 2y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43416476 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43416476