EU Parliament 'Anti-Propaganda' Resolution Aims to Gag Alternative Media

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Parliament’s resolution to counter Russian media is an attempt to prevent non-mainstream voices from being heard, the founder of the pan-Latin American teleSUR television network told Sputnik on Thursday.

The European Parliament voted on a resolution on Wednesday that compared Russian media to Islamic State propaganda. As many as 304 voted in favor the document, 179 voted against and 208 abstained. With a total of 691 officials taking part in the vote, less than half supported the resolution.

"The fact that the Sputnik news agency has been able to attract attention of the European Parliament means it’s been doing a great work," Aram Aharonian said. "They [EU] are trying to protect their ideology. This resolution shows they want to put an end to alternative opinions being voiced, which is a threat for their one-sided thinking."

Aharonian said the teleSUR channel he helped create 11 years ago faced similar opposition from the White House for allegedly being "anti-American." He said governments that were obsessed by maintaining their hegemony justified the persecution of alternative media outlets by protecting freedoms, plurality and diversity of opinion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the move demonstrated "degradation" of how the West perceived democracy. He praised the news agency Sputnik and the international broadcaster RT for their work, saying he hoped the resolution would not entail any curbs on Russian news outlets.