The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed visa sanctions on five European citizens, a move labelled an "authoritarian attack" by critics. Among those targeted is Imran Ahmed, a former Labour Party adviser and chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
The Sanctions and the Accusations
Overnight on 24 December 2025, the US State Department announced the measures. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the five individuals of leading "efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose". They are now "generally barred from entering the United States".
US Under-Secretary of State Sarah Rodgers claimed on social media platform X that the CCDH "supports the UK’s Online Safety Act and EU’s Digital Services Act to expand censorship in Europe and around the world". The sanctions also allow the Department of Homeland Security to initiate removal proceedings against certain individuals already in the US.
Profile of a Target: Imran Ahmed and the CCDH
Imran Ahmed, from Manchester, is a friend of Keir Starmer's top adviser Morgan McSweeney. McSweeney was listed as a director of the CCDH until his resignation in April 2020 when Starmer became Labour leader. Ahmed founded the organisation while working as an adviser to then-Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn.
He has stated his motivation came from witnessing the rise of antisemitism on the UK left and the murder of his colleague, MP Jo Cox, by a white supremacist. The CCDH's mission is to hold social media companies accountable for the spread of online hate and disinformation. In October 2024, tech billionaire Elon Musk declared "war" on the group, calling it a "criminal organisation".
Widespread Condemnation and Political Reaction
The sanctions have provoked strong criticism. Clare Melford, another British executive who runs the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and was also named, saw her organisation issue a fierce statement. A GDI spokesperson called the sanctions "an egregious act of government censorship" and accused the Trump administration of using state power to "intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with."
In UK politics, Liberal Democrats Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller urged the British government to "stand up for its citizens, not stay silent" regarding the actions taken against Ahmed and Melford. The incident highlights growing tensions between US policy and international advocacy groups working on digital regulation and free speech.
