German anti-hate group checking for financial impact of US sanctions

HateAid, a German non-profit organization that works to combat online hate and whose heads have been sanctioned by the US, is currently examining whether the US authorities' actions could impact its payment transactions.

Although HateAid does not have any bank accounts in the US, it is unclear whether the decision could be extended to include credit card blocks or online accounts held with US providers, Josephine Ballon, the co-chief of HateAid, told dpa on Friday.

On Wednesday, the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed entry bans on both HateAid directors, former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and two other European civil society campaigners, citing alleged censorship of US online platforms as the reason.

HateAid offers psychological and legal support to people who are discriminated against, insulted, threatened or attacked on the internet.

US authorities have already enforced an entry ban on the heads of HateAid, Ballon confirmed to dpa in Berlin. On Wednesday evening Berlin time, the US administration informed her that the status of her US ESTA, which was valid until April, had changed and that she would no longer be able to enter the country, Ballon said.

Her fellow managing director, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, does not currently have a visa for the US, she said. The German government has denounced the US sanctions, saying that HateAid's work contributes to "ensuring that personal rights are protected in the digital sphere."

Ballon said she is closely following political reactions in Germany and the EU to the US move. This includes the demand for the chief of mission at the US Embassy in Berlin to be summoned to the Foreign Office.

The ban shows that HateAid has "hit a nerve" with its work, according to von Hodenberg, who in October was awarded Germany's highest civilian honour, the Federal Cross of Merit.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that it "strongly condemned" the US sanctions and had requested clarification from Washington.

"If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures," the commission said, without specifying possible steps.