The EU might “respond swiftly and decisively” in response to what it deems “unwarranted” travel bans imposed by the US against five European individuals involved in fighting digital hatred and disinformation, an EU official has said.
European Leaders Condemn US Action as ‘Coercion’
Officials from Europe including Emmanuel Macron charged Washington of “bullying and threats”, after the travel bans were placed on figures who have been central to campaigns to enact laws regulating American tech companies.
“For far too long, European activists have led organised efforts to coerce American platforms to punish US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote a senior US official online. “The current administration will no longer tolerate such actions of censorship beyond its borders.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Nations including Germany, Spain, and the UK, alongside numerous EU representatives joined the French president in condemning the decision.
The bans were enacted on Tuesday on a former EU commissioner who helped draft the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as four anti-disinformation campaigners, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
The DSA is viewed by Washington as a form of censorship, while European leaders contend the rules are necessary to combat inflammatory language and falsehoods.
This disagreement threatens to become part of a much broader existing political and ideological clash between Washington and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In other legal news:
- A US district judge has halted attempts to reduce federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist specific federal immigration rules. The judge stated the case was “another example” of tying federal aid to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to a major US city prior to the new year, coinciding with an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- A Pacific Island nation has agreed to take in a limited number of migrants from the US in return for additional aid, after signing a memorandum of understanding with US authorities.
Furthermore, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action seeking the removal of the current president’s name from a prominent cultural institution in Washington DC.
Experts point out that recent statements regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy actions.
