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Comment by byroot | Hacker News Reader

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/f...

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Although less egregious at a glance, as a US citizen, I think that is pretty extreme and unprecedented in my lifetime (I'm 50) :-|

Similar things did happen after 9/11.

And people were outraged, then it became status quo. Now getting fondled by the TSA is passively accepted and hardly anyone writes about it anymore.

Perhaps 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.

Ah but you don't understand the role this plays in maintaining physical security of literally every secure location on earth, comrade.

The 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."

Due 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.

You can fly internally without going through TSA whenever you want!

I guess I should be honored someone made a burner account just to reply these sorts of rebuttals to me while smily facing about terrorists on an article about someone who seems much closer to a benign backpacker.

What does this even mean?

You seem to be in a bad mood today, perhaps it would benefit you to not project your negative energy online.

I was chained by malicious CBP officers, and much worse, and not only that I am in debt for it. Maybe it influenced me. The very thought of this happening to benign tourists makes me upset. I don't think anyone should be in a good mood reading this.

> Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents. Omit internet tropes.

> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I 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".

and 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)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43416476

Odd, 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.

For me, not for thee.

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