Paris, Dec 24 French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday criticised US visa restrictions against former European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and four other European figures, calling the measures as "intimidation and coercion" aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.
Macron's statement comes after the US announced that it is banning Breton and four other European citizens involved in curbing hate speech from US soil as part of a sanctions package targetting what it termed digital censorship.
"France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures. These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty. The European Union’s digital regulations were adopted following a democratic and sovereign process by the European Parliament and the Council," Macron posted on X.
"They apply within Europe to ensure fair competition among platforms, without targetting any third country, and to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe. Together with the European Commission and our European partners, we will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy," he added.
The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the US visas of UK nationals Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, who respectively head the Centre for Countering Digital Hate and the Global Disinformation Index, Politico reported.
Germany's Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, leaders of Hate Aid, a non-profit that monitors digital disinformation spread by far-right groups, also face visa bans.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the latest sanctions were imposed against "radical activists" who had worked to "coerce American platforms to censor, demonetise, and suppress American viewpoints."
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