The EU could “act quickly and firmly” in response to what it calls “unjustified” visa bans imposed by the US on five Europeans involved in combating online hate and misinformation, an EU official has said.
European Leaders Decry US Action as ‘Intimidation’
Officials from Europe including Emmanuel Macron charged the US administration of “bullying and threats”, after the travel bans were placed on individuals who have been central to campaigns to enact laws regulating US-based technology firms.
“For far too long, ideologues in Europe have spearheaded coordinated campaigns to coerce American platforms to suppress US perspectives they oppose,” wrote a senior US official online. “The current administration will not stand for such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials joined France in condemning the move.
The bans were imposed this week against a former EU commissioner involved in crafting the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), along with four anti-disinformation campaigners, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Regarding Governance
The DSA is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas European leaders contend the rules are essential to combat hate speech and disinformation.
This row threatens to become a facet of a far wider ongoing cultural and political conflict involving the current US administration and Europe.
Additional Updates in the News
In related judicial news:
- A US district judge has blocked attempts to reduce federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist specific federal immigration rules. The judge ruled the action was “another example” of tying federal aid to adherence to directives.
- Approval was given for the deployment of 350 national guard members to New Orleans ahead of the holiday period, alongside an active immigration enforcement operation.
- A Pacific Island nation will consent to accept a limited number of individuals from the US in return for additional aid, after concluding a formal agreement with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has filed a lawsuit to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC.
Analysts point out that comments regarding Venezuelan oil reflect a wider ideology in some quarters of “economic expansionism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy strategies.
