The EU could “act quickly and firmly” in response to what it calls “unwarranted” visa bans imposed by the United States against five European individuals working on combating digital hatred and disinformation, an EU official has said.
European Leaders Condemn US Move as ‘Coercion’
European leaders including the French president charged the US administration of “bullying and threats”, following the travel bans were placed on figures who have been at the heart of efforts to enact legislation governing American tech companies.
“For far too long, European activists have spearheaded organised efforts to coerce US companies to suppress American viewpoints they oppose,” wrote a senior US official in a social media post. “The current administration will not stand for such actions of censorship beyond its borders.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in criticizing the decision.
The bans were enacted this week against a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s digital governance law, along with several activists fighting false information, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
The DSA is viewed by Washington as a type of speech restriction, whereas EU authorities contend the regulations are necessary to combat hate speech and disinformation.
This row threatens to become a facet of a much broader ongoing political and ideological clash involving the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates in the News
In related legal developments:
- A US district judge has halted efforts to reduce federal homeland security funding to states which resist specific federal immigration rules. The judge ruled the case was “a further instance” of tying federal aid to adherence to directives.
- Authorization was issued for the deployment of 350 national guard members to New Orleans prior to the new year, alongside an active border security initiative.
- The nation of Palau has agreed to accept a limited number of migrants from the US in exchange for additional aid, after concluding a formal agreement with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action to demand the removal of the current president’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC.
Analysts have also noted that comments regarding Venezuelan oil align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy strategies.
