European powers decry US travel bans in online 'censorship' row

European powers on Wednesday sharply criticized entry bans imposed by the United States on five Europeans accused of censoring online platforms, warning the move could trigger countermeasures and further strain trans-Atlantic relations.

The US State Department on Tuesday imposed travel bans on former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and four civil society campaigners, including the heads of the German organization HateAid, accusing them of promoting "extraterritorial censorship" of US-based online services.

The European Commission said it "strongly condemned" the sanctions and had requested clarification from Washington.

"If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures," the commission said, without specifying possible steps.

"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination," it added, referring to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates online platforms within the bloc.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called the US measures unacceptable, stressing that the DSA was democratically adopted and applies only within the European Union. "What is illegal offline is also illegal online," he wrote on X, adding that differences should be addressed through dialogue.

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said HateAid supports victims of unlawful digital hate speech but does not censor opinions. "Anyone who calls this censorship is misrepresenting our constitutional system," she said, adding that "the rules by which we want to live in the digital sphere in Germany and Europe are not decided in Washington."

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the US action, describing it as an attempt at "intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty."

Along with Breton, the sanctions also target Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, managing directors of HateAid, as well as Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate US/UK, and Clare Melford, founder of the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI).

Breton, considered one of the architects of the DSA, condemned the measures as a "witch hunt." During his term as EU commissioner from 2019 to 2024, he repeatedly clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose X platform was recently fined €120 million ($141 million) by the EU over transparency violations.

GDI described the US action as an "authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship."

The organization said the Trump administration was attempting to intimidate and silence voices it disagreed with, calling the move "immoral, unlawful and un-American."

HateAid’s Ballon and von Hodenberg denounced the sanctions as an "act of repression." Von Hodenberg received Germany’s Federal Order of Merit in October for her work against digital violence.

Washington justified the sanctions by accusing the targeted individuals and organizations of acting as "radical" activists who had sought to pressure US platforms into suppressing "American viewpoints."