The EU might “respond swiftly and decisively” in response to what it calls “unjustified” travel bans issued by the US on five Europeans working on combating digital hatred and disinformation, a European Commission spokesperson has said.
European Leaders Condemn US Move as ‘Coercion’
Officials from Europe including the French president charged the US administration of “coercion and intimidation”, after the travel bans were placed on figures that were at the heart of efforts to introduce legislation governing American tech companies.
“For far too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to pressure US companies to suppress American viewpoints they disagree with,” wrote the US secretary of state in a social media post. “The current administration will no longer tolerate such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials joined the French president in condemning the move.
The restrictions were imposed this week on an ex-European commissioner involved in crafting the bloc’s digital governance law, along with several anti-disinformation campaigners, from 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 European leaders contend the rules are essential to control inflammatory language and falsehoods.
This disagreement risks becoming part of a much broader ongoing cultural and political conflict between the current US administration and European institutions.
Other Developments in the News
In other judicial news:
- A US district judge has halted attempts to cut federal homeland security funding to states which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The official ruled the case was “a further instance” of linking government assistance to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to a major US city ahead of the new year, alongside an ongoing border security initiative.
- A Pacific Island nation has agreed to take in dozens of migrants from the US in return for increased assistance, following concluding a formal agreement with US authorities.
Additionally, a congressional representative has filed a lawsuit to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a prominent performing arts center in Washington DC.
Experts point out that recent statements regarding foreign petroleum resources reflect a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy strategies.
