The EU could “act quickly and firmly” against what it calls “unwarranted” travel bans issued by the United States against five Europeans involved in combating online hate and disinformation, a European Commission spokesperson stated.
European Leaders Decry US Action as ‘Intimidation’
Officials from Europe such as the French president charged the US administration of “coercion and intimidation”, after the travel bans were placed on figures that were central to campaigns to enact legislation governing US-based technology firms.
“For too long, European activists have spearheaded coordinated campaigns to coerce US companies to punish US perspectives they oppose,” stated the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported France in criticizing the decision.
The restrictions were imposed this week against an ex-European commissioner who helped draft the EU’s digital governance law, as well as several activists fighting false information, including two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
The DSA is seen by US officials as a form of censorship, while EU authorities argue the regulations are necessary to control inflammatory language and disinformation.
This row risks becoming part of a much broader existing cultural and political conflict involving Washington and Europe.
Additional Updates in the News
In other judicial news:
- A federal judge has halted attempts to cut 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 adherence to directives.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to a major US city ahead of the holiday period, alongside an ongoing border security initiative.
- A Pacific Island nation has agreed to accept a limited number of individuals from the US in return for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with US authorities.
Furthermore, a congressional representative has filed a lawsuit to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC.
Analysts have also noted that comments regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy actions.
