The United States ambassador to Denmark reportedly banned a NATO expert who has been a critic of President Trump from speaking at a Copenhagen event that marked the alliance’s 70th anniversary.
Stanley Sloan, a visiting professor at Middlebury College, fellow at the Atlantic Council and former CIA analyst, was disinvited from the Dec. 10 event hosted by the Danish Atlantic Council. The organization said the embassy communicated that it was uncomfortable with Sloan speaking, Buzzfeed News reported.
Sloan tweeted Saturday that “I’ve just received word from the Danish Atlantic Council that the US Embassy in Copenhagen, a cosponsor of the meeting, has vetoed my participation due to my critical evaluation of Trump’s impact on transatlantic relations. Stunned and concerned about our country.”
Cancel that! I've just received word from the Danish Atlantic Council that the US Embassy in Copenhagen, a cosponsor of the meeting, has vetoed my participation due to my critical evaluation of Trump's impact on transatlantic relations. Stunned and concerned about our country.
— Stanley R. Sloan – Defense of the West (@srs2_) December 7, 2019
Lars Bangert Struwe, the head of the Danish Atlantic Council, wrote in an email to Sloan that “[T]he Danish Atlantic Council via the official channels became instructed that Ambassador Carla Sands does not want presence at the Conference.” The event was planned in conjunction with the U.S. embassy, Buzzfeed News reported.
Sands is a former actress, chiropractor and board member, in addition to making contributions to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and his inauguration.
“The US embassy demanded that he be removed as a speaker,” Struwe said in an email to BuzzFeed News.
Struwe told Sloan that the embassy’s move was “in total disharmony with the way, the Danish Atlantic Council want to act.”
“Thus knowing that you do criticize the President of the United States, we believe that Freedom of Speech is paramount in every democracy, and we do not see a conflict between the Freedom of Speech and participating as a Speaker at an international conference,” Struwe wrote, Buzzfeed News reported.
“Having said that, the Danish Atlantic Council is not in a position, where we can ignore the given instructions by the Embassy of the United States, when the instructions are clear and specific.”
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- Discussion
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US Ambassador to Denmark reportedly bars Trump critic from attending NATO event in Copenhagen https://t.co/w3Xt2gJhgK pic.twitter.com/kwCPI73Tsx
— The Hill (@thehill) December 8, 2019
The idea that someone like Stan Sloan, one of the top experts on NATO, should be considered unacceptable by the US Government because he is critical of it's stance, is absurd and dangerous. Sad that @AtlantDK is going along with this. https://t.co/zcZvs2hWG2
— Lawrence Freedman (@LawDavF) December 7, 2019
During the Obama administration, I spoke under auspices of US Department of State in China, Norway, and Venezuela. In no case did any official at any level attempt before or after to limit – or even to review – what I was going to say.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) December 7, 2019
Instead, https://t.co/eLt4lSNYN5
— David Frum (@davidfrum) December 7, 2019
In multiple administrations, I have spoken critically of U.S. policy when invited to speak in different locations around the world. I was proud that the U.S. government supported the idea that healthy dialogue is something America embraces and encourages others to emulate. https://t.co/Jw4tQUr1S9
— Dan Byman (@dbyman) December 8, 2019
I was asked by State to do speaking tours twice in Europe. I was never told what to say or what not to say. Because I was a citizen of a democracy. This is now alien to the Trump administration and a signal that from now on anyone sponsored to speak is just a Trump mouthpiece. https://t.co/WuaFw98XnX
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 8, 2019
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