The EU might “act quickly and firmly” against what it calls “unwarranted” travel bans imposed by the United States against five European individuals working on fighting online hate and disinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Decry US Move as ‘Intimidation’
European leaders including Emmanuel Macron charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, following the travel bans were placed on figures that were at the heart of efforts to enact laws regulating US-based technology firms.
“For far too long, European activists have spearheaded coordinated campaigns to coerce American platforms to suppress US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will not stand for such actions of censorship beyond its borders.”
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 this week on an ex-European commissioner who helped draft the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as several activists fighting false information, from Germany and the United Kingdom.
An Escalating Conflict Over Regulation
This European legislation is seen by US officials as a form of censorship, while EU authorities contend the regulations are essential to combat hate speech and disinformation.
This row threatens to become a facet of a much broader ongoing political and ideological clash involving the current US administration and Europe.
Additional Updates in the News
In other legal developments:
- A US district judge has blocked attempts to reduce security grants to local governments that do not comply with certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the action was “a further instance” of linking federal aid to policy compliance.
- Approval was given for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to New Orleans prior to the new year, alongside an active immigration enforcement operation.
- The nation of Palau will consent to take in a limited number of migrants from the US in return for increased assistance, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action seeking the removal of the current president’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC.
Experts point out that recent statements regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a broader belief in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy strategies.
