European Union Might Respond to ‘Unwarranted’ US Travel Restrictions, Official Says

The European Union could “respond swiftly and decisively” against what it deems “unjustified” visa bans imposed by the US against five Europeans involved in combating digital hatred and misinformation, an EU official has said.

EU Officials Condemn US Action as ‘Coercion’

Officials from Europe including the French president accused Washington of “bullying and threats”, after the visa restrictions targeted figures that were central to efforts to introduce laws governing American tech companies.

“For too long, European activists have spearheaded coordinated campaigns to coerce US companies to suppress US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will not stand for these egregious acts 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 bans were enacted on Tuesday on an ex-European commissioner who helped draft the EU’s digital governance law, along with several anti-disinformation campaigners, from Germany and the United Kingdom.

A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation

The DSA is seen by Washington as a type of speech restriction, while European leaders contend the rules are necessary to control hate speech and disinformation.

This disagreement risks becoming a facet of a far wider existing political and ideological clash involving the current US administration and European institutions.

Additional Updates Reported Today

In other judicial news:

• A US district judge has blocked attempts to cut federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the case was “a further instance” of linking government assistance to policy compliance.
• Approval was given for the deployment of hundreds of national guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the holiday period, alongside an active immigration enforcement operation.
• A Pacific Island nation has agreed to take in dozens of individuals from the US in exchange for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with Washington.

Furthermore, a congressional representative has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a prominent performing arts center in Washington DC.

Experts have also noted that recent statements regarding foreign petroleum resources reflect a wider ideology in some quarters of “economic expansionism”, drawing comparisons with past foreign policy actions.