The State Department said on Tuesday it had banned five “radical activists” from entering the United States for allegedly “forcing U.S. platforms to censor American viewpoints.” These people are: Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market in 2019-24, British citizens Imran Ahmed, director of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Clare Melford, head of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon from the German organization HateAid.
Who has been banned from entering the USA?
How did the European Commission react to Trump's decision?
What was Thierry Breton accused of?
What did Emmanuel Macron say about the entry ban?
The American ministry accused Breton of being the originator of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the operation of online platforms and search engines, including combating disinformation and ensuring the transparency of advertising, including political advertising.
The European Commission condemns the actions of the Trump administration
The European Commission strongly condemned the decision of Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday. The EC emphasized in a statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe, as well as a common fundamental value of both the United States and the entire democratic world. She also informed that she had asked Washington for explanations and was in contact with the local administration.
The document recalls that the European Union is an open, single market based on specific rules and has the sovereign right to introduce economic regulations based on its own democratic principles and international obligations. — Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair and level playing field for all businesses. They are applied fairly and without discrimination, the Commission stressed, adding that, if necessary, it will “react quickly and decisively to defend its regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures”.
Emmanuel Macron criticized Donald Trump. “We will defend digital sovereignty”
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned Trump's decision. In a statement posted on the X platform, Macron wrote that France condemns the US visa restrictions because “these measures constitute intimidation and coercion aimed at weakening European digital sovereignty.” He recalled that EU digital rules were adopted as a result of a democratic and sovereign process by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
“They apply in Europe to ensure fair competition between platforms, are not directed against any third country and aim to ensure that what is illegal in the real world is also illegal in the virtual world. The rules governing the European Union's digital space should not be established outside Europe. Together with the European Commission and our European partners, we will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy,” stressed the French president.
