The European Union has warned of possible action after the US banned five Europeans accused of censorship

BRUSSELS (AP) — France, Germany, the European Union and the United Kingdom on Wednesday accused the Trump administration of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American views over the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban on five Europeans.

The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, which oversees tech regulation in Europe, has warned it will take action against any “unfair measures”. It said it had requested clarification from the US State Department, which announced the ban on Tuesday.

The five Europeans were characterized by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “radical” activists and “armed” non-governmental organizations. They include Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner responsible for overseeing social media regulations.

Breton, a businessman and former French finance minister, clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk last year on social media for broadcasting an online interview with Donald Trump in the months leading up to the US election.

Rubio wrote in an X-Post on Tuesday that “for too long, Europe’s ideologues have made concerted efforts to pressure American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose.”

“The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these abhorrent acts of extraterritorial censorship,” he posted.

The European Commission said 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.”

“Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination,” it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said at the X that he had spoken to Breton about the US move. “We will stand firm against the pressure and protect the Europeans,” Macron posted.

Macron said the EU’s digital rules were adopted by a “democratic and sovereign process” involving all member states and the European Parliament. He said the rules “ensure fair competition between platforms, without targeting any third country.”

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

The other four Europeans banned by the US are Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of HateAid, a German organization; and Claire Melford, who runs the Global Disinformation Index.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadefuhl said the entry ban on X, including the leaders of HateAid, was “not acceptable”. He said Germany wanted to address the EU’s “interpretation” of digital rules with Washington “in order to strengthen our partnership”.

EU Council President Antonio Costa also called the US sanctions “unacceptable among allies, partners and friends”.

“The EU is resolute in defending freedom of expression, fair digital rules, and its regulatory sovereignty,” Costa posted on X.

“Each country has the right to set its own visa rules, but we support laws and organizations that are working to keep the internet free of the most harmful content,” the UK government said.

Europeans are dismayed by a new visa policy announced in May to restrict the entry of foreigners deemed responsible for censorship of protected speech in the United States.

Rubio said the five had led foreign government censorship campaigns against Americans and American companies, which he said created “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States.

Banning them from the US is part of the Trump administration’s campaign against foreign influence on online speech, using immigration laws rather than platform rules or penalties.

In a Tuesday post on X, Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy, called Breton the “mastermind” behind the EU’s Digital Services Act, which imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online. This includes flagging harmful or illegal content such as hate speech.

Breton responded in X that all 27 EU member states voted for the Digital Services Act in 2022. “To our American friends: ‘Censorship is not where you think it is,'” he wrote.

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Angela Charlton contributed to this report from Paris.