The EU might “act quickly and firmly” against what it deems “unwarranted” visa bans imposed by the US against five Europeans involved in combating online hate and disinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Decry US Action as ‘Intimidation’
Officials from Europe including the French president accused the US administration of “bullying and threats”, following the visa restrictions were placed on figures who have been at the heart of efforts to enact laws governing American tech companies.
“For far too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to pressure US companies to punish US perspectives they oppose,” stated the US secretary of state in a social media post. “The current administration will not stand for such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism From EU Nations
Nations including Germany, Spain, and the UK, alongside numerous EU representatives supported the French president in condemning the move.
The bans were enacted this week against a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as several activists fighting false information, 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, whereas European leaders contend the rules are necessary to control hate speech and falsehoods.
This row threatens to become part of a far wider existing political and ideological clash between the current US administration and European institutions.
Other Developments Reported Today
In other legal developments:
- A US district judge has blocked efforts to reduce federal homeland security funding to states which resist specific federal immigration rules. The official ruled the case was “another example” of tying government assistance to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to New Orleans ahead of the new year, alongside an active immigration enforcement operation.
- The nation of Palau will consent to take in a limited number of individuals from the US in return for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with US authorities.
Furthermore, a congressional representative has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a well-known cultural institution in the capital.
Experts have also noted that recent statements regarding foreign petroleum resources reflect a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy strategies.
