EU slams journey bans by US | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

BRUSSELS — France, Germany, the European Union and the United Kingdom on Wednesday hit out at a U.S. determination to impose journey bans on 5 Europeans the Trump administration accuses of pressuring tech companies to censor or suppress American views.

The EU’s government department, the European Commission, which supervises tech regulation in Europe, warned that it could take motion in opposition to any “unjustified measures.” It mentioned it had requested clarification from the U.S. State Department, which introduced the bans on Tuesday.

The 5 Europeans had been characterised by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “radical” activists who “weaponized” nongovernmental organizations. They embrace the previous EU commissioner chargeable for supervising social media guidelines, Thierry Breton.

Breton, a businessman and former French finance minister, clashed final yr on social media with tech billionaire Elon Musk over broadcasting a web-based interview with Donald Trump within the months main as much as the U.S. election.

Rubio wrote in an X put up on Tuesday that “for far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose.”

The European Commission countered that “the EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments.”

French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned on X that he had spoken to Breton in regards to the U.S. transfer. “We will stand firm against pressure and will protect Europeans,” Macron posted.

Macron mentioned the EU’s digital guidelines had been adopted by “a democratic and sovereign process” involving all member nations and the European Parliament. He mentioned the foundations “ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country.”

He underlined that “the rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe.”

The 4 different Europeans banned by the U.S. are Imran Ahmed, chief government of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of HateSupport, a German group; and Clare Melford, who runs the Global Disinformation Index.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul mentioned on X the entry bans, together with on the leaders of HateSupport, had been “not acceptable.” He mentioned Germany meant to deal with the U.S. “interpretation” of the EU’s digital guidelines with Washington “in order to strengthen our partnership.”

EU Council President António Costa additionally referred to as the U.S. bans “unacceptable between allies, partners, and friends.”

The U.Ok. authorities mentioned, “While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content.”

The Europeans fell afoul of a brand new visa coverage introduced in May to limit the entry of foreigners deemed chargeable for censorship of protected speech within the United States.

Rubio mentioned the 5 had superior international authorities censorship campaigns in opposition to Americans and U.S. corporations, which he mentioned created “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States.

The motion to bar them from the U.S. is a part of a Trump administration marketing campaign in opposition to international affect over on-line speech, utilizing immigration legislation relatively than platform laws or penalties.

In a put up on X on Tuesday, Sarah Rogers, the U.S. underneath secretary of state for public diplomacy, referred to as Breton the “mastermind” behind the EU’s Digital Services Act, which imposes a set of strict necessities designed to maintain web customers protected on-line. This contains flagging dangerous or unlawful content material like hate speech.

“To our American friends: ‘Censorship isn’t where you think it is,'” Breton responded.