The EU could “act quickly and firmly” against what it deems “unwarranted” visa bans imposed by the US on five European individuals involved in fighting online hate and disinformation, a European Commission spokesperson has said.
EU Officials Decry US Move as ‘Intimidation’
European leaders including the French president charged the US administration of “coercion and intimidation”, after the visa restrictions were placed on figures that were at the heart of campaigns to introduce legislation governing American tech companies.
“For too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to coerce US companies to suppress US perspectives they oppose,” wrote the US secretary of state in a social media post. “This government will no longer tolerate such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism From EU Nations
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials joined the French president in condemning the move.
The restrictions were enacted this week on a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s digital governance law, along with several activists fighting false information, from Germany and the United Kingdom.
A Deepening Dispute Regarding Governance
The DSA is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas EU authorities contend the rules are necessary to control hate speech and disinformation.
This row threatens to become part of a much broader ongoing cultural and political conflict involving the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In related judicial developments:
- A US district judge has blocked efforts to cut security grants to states that do not comply with certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the action was “a further instance” of tying 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 new year, coinciding with an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- A Pacific Island nation will consent to take in dozens of individuals from the US in exchange for increased assistance, following signing a memorandum of understanding with US authorities.
Furthermore, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a prominent cultural institution in Washington DC.
Experts point out that comments regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a broader belief in some quarters of “economic expansionism”, drawing comparisons with historical international strategies.
