“But our message is clear: if you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil,” she said.
The move sparked a backlash in Europe, which is considering retaliatory action. The European Commission said it strongly condemned the US decision, and that Europe had “the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe would “stand firm against pressure” and protect Europeans.Credit: AP
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the entry bans were “not acceptable” and defended the Digital Services Act, noting it was democratically adopted by the European Union and did not have extraterritorial effect.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he called Breton to thank him for his significant service. “We will stand firm against pressure and will protect Europeans,” he said.
Breton compared the US move to McCarthyism, the anti-communist witch-hunts spearheaded by US senator Joe McCarthy after World War II, and suggested the US was being hypocritical.
“To our American friends: ‘Censorship isn’t where you think it is’,” Breton wrote on X.
The European activists targeted by the Trump administration clashed with Elon Musk’s X over censorship allegations.Credit: Bloomberg
The Trump administration opposes what it sees as attempts by foreign governments to coerce tech companies – most of which are American – into censoring or otherwise restricting certain content, particularly that which is regarded as reflective of conservative viewpoints.
Rogers cited attempts to de-platform anti-vaccination activists or censor “hate speech”, when explaining the State Department’s reasons for the bans.
Australia has already been drawn into the administration’s crusade against perceived censorship. In May, the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor took aim at the eSafety Commissioner for ordering X to remove a post that criticised an Australia individual over transgender issues. The bureau’s statement also included criticism of Breton.
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The eSafety Commissioner argued the post – by Canadian activist Chris Elston – deliberately misgendered the person, invalidated and mocked his gender identity, caused offence and constituted cyber-abuse. Elston later won an appeal at the Administrative Review Tribunal.
Last month, Republican congressman Jim Jordan – who chairs the House Judiciary Committee – asked eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to provide evidence to the committee, calling her a “noted zealot for global takedowns” and a direct threat to American speech.
Inman Grant has said she replied in writing and pointed out the agency abandoned global takedown orders, which Elon Musk’s X had challenged in court.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts encouraged the Trump administration to apply the same entry bans to Australians as it did to the Europeans. “Now do Australian politicians, please,” he posted on X.
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