The EU might “act quickly and firmly” in response to what it calls “unjustified” travel bans imposed by the United States on five Europeans involved in fighting digital hatred and disinformation, an EU official stated.
EU Officials Decry US Action as ‘Coercion’
European leaders including the French president charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, following the visa restrictions were placed on figures that were central to campaigns to enact laws regulating US-based technology firms.
“For too long, European activists have spearheaded coordinated campaigns to pressure US companies to suppress US perspectives they oppose,” wrote the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will no longer tolerate such actions of censorship beyond its borders.”
Widespread Condemnation From EU Nations
Germany, Spain, the UK and a chorus of EU officials supported the French president in criticizing the decision.
The bans were imposed this week against an ex-European commissioner involved in crafting the EU’s digital governance law, along with several anti-disinformation campaigners, from two in Germany and two in the UK.
A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation
This European legislation is seen by Washington as a form of censorship, whereas European leaders contend the rules are essential to control inflammatory language and disinformation.
This disagreement risks becoming a facet of a far wider existing cultural and political conflict between Washington and European institutions.
Additional Updates Reported Today
In other legal developments:
- A US district judge has halted efforts to cut federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist specific federal immigration rules. The judge ruled the action was “a further instance” of tying federal aid to adherence to directives.
- Authorization was issued for the dispatch of hundreds of national guard troops to a major US city prior to the new year, coinciding with an ongoing border security initiative.
- The nation of Palau will consent to accept dozens of migrants from the US in return for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Additionally, a Democratic lawmaker has filed a lawsuit to demand the removal 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”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy actions.