The EU could “respond swiftly and decisively” in response to what it calls “unwarranted” visa bans imposed by the United States on five European individuals involved in combating online hate and misinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Decry US Action as ‘Coercion’
European leaders such as Emmanuel Macron charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the visa restrictions targeted individuals who have been at the heart of efforts to enact laws governing American tech companies.
“For far too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to pressure US companies to punish American viewpoints they disagree with,” stated the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will not stand for these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”
Widespread Condemnation From EU Nations
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in criticizing the decision.
The bans were enacted on Tuesday against an ex-European commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), along with four anti-disinformation campaigners, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
The DSA is seen by Washington as a form of censorship, while EU authorities contend the regulations are necessary to combat hate speech and falsehoods.
This row threatens to become part of a much broader ongoing cultural and political conflict between the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In related judicial news:
- A federal judge has blocked attempts to cut security grants to local governments which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The official ruled the case was “another example” of tying federal aid to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of hundreds of national guard troops to New Orleans prior to the new year, coinciding with an active immigration enforcement operation.
- The nation of Palau has agreed to take in a limited number of individuals from the US in return for increased assistance, following signing a formal agreement with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has filed a lawsuit seeking the stripping of a political figure’s name from a prominent cultural institution in Washington DC.
Analysts point out that comments regarding Venezuelan oil align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “economic expansionism”, leading to parallels with historical international actions.
