The EU could “respond swiftly and decisively” in response to what it calls “unwarranted” travel bans issued by the US against five European individuals working on fighting digital hatred and disinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Condemn US Action as ‘Intimidation’
European leaders including Emmanuel Macron charged Washington of “bullying and threats”, after the travel bans were placed on figures who have been central to efforts to introduce laws regulating American tech companies.
“For too long, ideologues in Europe have led coordinated campaigns to coerce American platforms to punish US perspectives they disagree with,” stated the US secretary of state online. “This government will not stand for such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Widespread Condemnation Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in criticizing the decision.
The restrictions were imposed on Tuesday on an ex-European commissioner involved in crafting the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as several anti-disinformation campaigners, from Germany and the United Kingdom.
A Deepening Dispute Regarding Governance
This European legislation is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, while EU authorities contend the rules are necessary to control inflammatory language and disinformation.
This row threatens to become a facet of a far wider existing political and ideological clash involving the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In related legal developments:
- A US district judge has halted attempts to reduce federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the case was “a further instance” of linking federal aid to adherence to directives.
- Approval was given for the deployment of hundreds of national guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the new year, alongside an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- A Pacific Island nation has agreed to take in dozens of migrants from the US in exchange for increased assistance, after concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action seeking 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 reflect a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy actions.
