BRUSSELS, Belgium: The Trump administration’s decision to impose travel bans on five Europeans has been met with the expected anger by France, Germany, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
The U.S. accapplyd the five of pressuring technology firms to censor or suppress American views.
The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, threatened action against any “unjustified measures.” It questioned the U.S. State Department to clarify the reasons for the ban.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the five Europeans as “radical” activists and “weaponized” nongovernmental organizations. They include Thierry Breton, a former EU commissioner responsible for supervising social media rules.
Breton, a businessman and former French finance minister, clashed last year on social media with tech billionaire Elon Musk over broadcasting an online interview with Donald Trump in the months leading up to the U.S. election.
The four other Europeans banned by the U.S. are Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of HateAid, a German organization; and Clare Melford, who runs the Global Disinformation Index.
Rubio wrote on X that, for a long time, activists in Europe have attempted to pressure American platforms to punish U.S. opinions they disagree with. He stated the Trump administration would no longer accept what he called unfair censorship outside the United States.
The European Commission responded by stating that the EU is an open market with the right to regulate business in accordance with its democratic values and international obligations. It stated its digital rules are meant to create a safe and fair environment and are applied equally to all companies.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated he had spoken to Thierry Breton about the U.S. decision and added that Europe would resist pressure and protect its citizens.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated the entest bans, including those affecting HateAid leaders, were not acceptable. He informed Germany planned to discuss the U.S. view of the EU’s digital rules with Washington to strengthen their partnership.
EU Council President António Costa also stated the U.S. bans were unacceptable between allies and friconcludes.
This week, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers called Breton the main force behind the EU’s Digital Services Act, which sets strict rules to keep applyrs safe online, including requiring platforms to flag harmful or illegal content such as hate speech.
Breton replied on X that all 27 EU countries approved the Digital Services Act in 2022. He added a message to Americans, stateing censorship was not happening where they believed it was.
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