The European Union could “act quickly and firmly” against what it calls “unwarranted” visa bans issued by the United States against five Europeans working on combating online hate and disinformation, an EU official has said.
EU Officials Condemn US Move as ‘Coercion’
Officials from Europe including the French president charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the visa restrictions were placed on figures that were central to efforts to introduce legislation regulating American tech companies.
“For too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to coerce American platforms to suppress US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote a senior US official in a social media post. “This government will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of censorship beyond its borders.”
Broad Criticism Across Europe
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials joined the French president in condemning the decision.
The restrictions were enacted on Tuesday on an ex-European commissioner involved in crafting the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as four activists fighting false information, including Germany and the United Kingdom.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
The DSA is seen by Washington as a form of censorship, while European leaders argue the regulations are necessary to control inflammatory language and falsehoods.
This row threatens to become a facet of a far wider existing political and ideological clash between Washington and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In other legal developments:
- A US district judge has blocked efforts to cut federal homeland security funding to states that do not comply with specific federal immigration rules. The official ruled the action was “a further instance” of tying federal aid to policy compliance.
- Authorization was issued for the deployment of hundreds of national guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the new year, alongside an ongoing immigration enforcement operation.
- The nation of Palau has agreed to accept a limited number of migrants from the US in return for increased assistance, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Furthermore, a Democratic lawmaker has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of the current president’s name from a prominent cultural institution in Washington DC.
Experts have also noted that recent statements regarding Venezuelan oil align with a wider ideology in certain circles of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with historical international actions.
