The European Union, France and Germany condemned this Wednesday the US government’s decision to impose it Visa vetoes for five European citizens related to combating hate speech and misinformation onlinea measure that Brussels described as “unjustified” and which increases political tensions between Washington and its partners across the Atlantic.
The sanctions announced on Tuesday by the government of President Donald Trump affect, among others, the former French EU commissioner Thierry Bretonand are based on the accusation that these numbers they would have promoted the censorship of freedom of expression or discriminates against US technology companies through “excessive” regulations, the official US version says.
The vetoes represent a New episode of tensions between the United States and Europein a context in which senior officials in Washington have openly questioned the strategic relevance of the European continent and criticized its defense spending, its immigration policies and what they say is a deliberate restriction of ultra-nationalist or far-right voices in public debate.
The decision comes a few weeks after a document from United States National Security Strategy warned that Europe faces the risk of “civilizational erosion” if it does not correct its political course – a diagnosis that has caused concern in several European capitals and fueled debate about the need to reduce technological and military dependence on Washington.
The European Commission reacted harshly from Brussels. A spokesman said the EU “strongly condemns the US decision.” and emphasized that “freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a value shared with the United States throughout the democratic world.” The township board also said it would ask Washington for formal explanations and that it reserved the opportunity to respond “quickly and decisively” to what it viewed as an arbitrary measure.
The French President, Emmanuel Macronpublicly expressed his support for Breton, with whom he said he spoke after learning of the sanctions. Macron defended the work of the former commissioner and reiterated this France and Europe will not give up protecting their regulatory sovereigntynor the independence of the continent in the face of external constraints.
Breton was one of the main supporters of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), an iconic regulation that forces major tech platforms to combat illegal content such as hate speech or child sexual abuse material. This legislation was sharply criticized by the Trump administration considers it a threat to freedom of expression and a direct attack on American companies.
Tensions worsened earlier this month when The European Commission fined the social networkowned by businessman Elon Musk, fined 120 million euros for failing to comply with community content moderation rules. Musk and Breton have had public falling outs in the past, with the American tycoon even calling the former commissioner the “tyrant of Europe.”
In addition to Breton, US sanctions were also imposed Imran AhmedExecutive Director of the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate; to German activists Anna Lena von Hodenberg And Josephine Balloonfrom the HateAid organization; already Clare MelfordCo-founder of the Global Disinformation Index, as reported by the US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy.
The German Justice Ministry described the vetoes against activists in their country as “unacceptable” and expressed his institutional support for his work and emphasized that the fight against illegal hatred on the Internet is part of the German and European constitutional order. “The rules of the digital space in Germany and Europe are not decided in Washington,” the ministry said in a statement.
The British government struck a more cautious tone, but also defended the role of the institutions working on it Limit the most harmful content onlineRecalling that while every country is sovereign in visa matters, the UK supports efforts to protect public debate from abuse and disinformation campaigns.
The Global Disinformation Index shows that one of the affected groups described the measure as follows: “Authoritarian attack on freedom of expression” and condemned the Trump administration’s use of state power to intimidate and silence critical voices – an accusation Washington rejects.
Breton’s case is not an isolated one. The US had already imposed sanctions on the French judge in August Nicolas Yann Guilloua member of the International Criminal Court, in retaliation for the court’s investigations into Israel and past actions by U.S. officials.
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