EU Might Retaliate to ‘Unjustified’ US Visa Bans, Spokesperson Says

The European Union could “act quickly and firmly” against what it calls “unjustified” visa bans imposed by the US against five Europeans working on combating online hate and misinformation, an EU official has said.

European Leaders Decry US Action as ‘Coercion’

Officials from Europe including Emmanuel Macron accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the travel bans targeted figures who have been central to campaigns to introduce legislation regulating American tech companies.

“For too long, European activists have led coordinated campaigns to coerce American platforms to punish US perspectives they disagree with,” wrote the US secretary of state in a social media post. “The current administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of censorship beyond its borders.”

Widespread Condemnation Across Europe

Nations including Germany, Spain, and the UK, alongside numerous EU representatives joined the French president in condemning the decision.

The bans were imposed this week on a former EU commissioner involved in crafting the EU’s digital governance law, as well as four activists fighting false information, from two in Germany and two in the UK.

A Deepening Dispute Over Regulation

The DSA is viewed by Washington as a form of censorship, while European leaders argue the rules are necessary to combat inflammatory language and disinformation.

This row threatens to become a facet of a much broader existing cultural and political conflict between Washington and European institutions.

Other Developments Reported Today

In other legal developments:

• A federal judge has halted efforts to reduce federal homeland security funding to local governments which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the action was “a further instance” of tying federal aid to policy compliance.
• Authorization was issued for the deployment of 350 national guard members to New Orleans prior to the holiday period, coinciding with an active immigration enforcement operation.
• A Pacific Island nation has agreed to take in a limited number of individuals from the US in exchange for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with US authorities.

Furthermore, a congressional representative has filed a lawsuit to demand the stripping of a political figure’s name from a prominent cultural institution in Washington DC.

Analysts have also noted that comments regarding Venezuelan oil reflect a broader belief in certain circles of “resource imperialism”, drawing comparisons with historical international strategies.