The EU might “act quickly and firmly” against what it deems “unjustified” visa bans issued by the US on five Europeans working on fighting digital hatred and misinformation, a European Commission spokesperson has said.
EU Officials Decry US Action as ‘Intimidation’
European leaders including the French president accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the travel bans targeted individuals who have been at the heart of campaigns to enact laws regulating US-based technology firms.
“For too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to pressure American platforms to suppress US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote the US secretary of state in a social media post. “This government will not stand for these egregious acts of censorship beyond its borders.”
Widespread Condemnation From EU Nations
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in condemning the decision.
The bans were enacted on Tuesday against an ex-European commissioner who helped draft the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), along with several anti-disinformation campaigners, from Germany and the United Kingdom.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
This European legislation is seen by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas EU authorities contend the regulations are essential to combat inflammatory language and falsehoods.
This disagreement risks becoming a facet of a much broader existing cultural and political conflict between the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates in the News
In other legal news:
- A US district judge has halted attempts to reduce federal homeland security funding to states which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the action was “another example” of linking government assistance to policy compliance.
- Approval was given for the deployment of hundreds of national guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the new year, coinciding with an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- A Pacific Island nation will consent to take in a limited number of individuals from the US in return for additional aid, after concluding a formal agreement with Washington.
Additionally, a congressional representative has filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of a political figure’s name from a prominent cultural institution in the capital.
Analysts have also noted that comments regarding Venezuelan oil align with a wider ideology in certain circles of “economic expansionism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy actions.
