The EU could “respond swiftly and decisively” in response to what it calls “unwarranted” travel bans issued by the United States on five Europeans working on combating digital hatred and misinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Decry US Move as ‘Intimidation’
European leaders including the French president charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the travel bans were placed on figures who have been central to campaigns to enact legislation governing US-based technology firms.
“For too long, European activists have spearheaded organised efforts to pressure US companies to suppress US perspectives they oppose,” wrote the US secretary of state in a social media post. “This government will no longer tolerate such actions of extraterritorial censorship.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in condemning the decision.
The restrictions were enacted on Tuesday on a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s digital governance law, along with several anti-disinformation campaigners, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Regarding Governance
This European legislation is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas EU authorities argue the regulations are necessary to combat inflammatory language and falsehoods.
This disagreement risks becoming a facet of a far wider ongoing political and ideological clash involving the current US administration and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In other legal news:
- A US district judge has blocked attempts to cut federal homeland security funding to states which resist specific federal immigration rules. The judge ruled the case was “another example” of tying government assistance to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of hundreds of national guard troops to a major US city ahead of the holiday period, coinciding with an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- The nation of Palau will consent to accept dozens of migrants from the US in exchange for increased assistance, after concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Furthermore, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action seeking the stripping of a political figure’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC.
Experts have also noted that recent statements regarding Venezuelan oil reflect a broader belief in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy strategies.
