ACLU, NAACP accused of trying to 'sabotage' US tourism with 'fearmongering' campaign
A progressive "fearmongering" campaign ahead of the World Cup is drawing backlash as one critic accused leftist groups of trying to "sabotage" the U.S. tourist industry by targeting American business...
By Fox News · Fox News
A progressive "fearmongering" campaign ahead of the World Cup is drawing backlash as one critic accused leftist groups of trying to "sabotage" the U.S. tourist industry by targeting American business owners over their opposition to President Donald Trump. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Geoff Freeman, president of the U.S. Travel Association, called "questioning the safety of travelers" to the U.S. a "step too far." He also called discouraging international visitors from traveling to the U.S. to make a political point about the Trump administration the "height of absurdity." "If we discourage these travelers from coming, travel businesses are going to pay a heavy price, and that's not just in the 11 [FIFA] host cities around the country, that's all around the country," he said. "We all have policies we disagree with, and there's a way to express ourselves when we disagree with those policies. But holding the bellman, holding the waitress, holding the small travel business hostage in order to make your political point is extremely disrespectful." TRUMP AWARDED FIRST-EVER FIFA PEACE PRICE AT WORLD CUP FINAL DRAW The New York Times-owned outlet The Athletic reported this week that 120 fan groups and civil society organizations published a travel advisory warning potential World Cup visitors to the U.S. about possible arbitrary detention and inhumane conditions. Groups that backed the warning included Amnesty International USA, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The groups warned that visitors could face human rights violations in the U.S., including arbitrary denial of entry, risk of detention, invasive social media screening, searches of electronic devices, racial profiling and suppression of free speech. The advisory also warned that immigrants, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals and others are "most vulnerable to serious harm" when traveling within the country due to the "T…