Overview
- Washington imposed entry and stay bans on five Europeans: HateAid’s Anna‑Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, CCDH founder Imran Ahmed, and GDI co‑founder Clare Melford.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the step as a response to "extraterritorial" efforts to pressure U.S. platforms to suppress viewpoints and warned the list could grow.
- Germany’s justice minister and foreign minister rejected the allegations as unfounded, France condemned the action, and the European Commission sought clarification and pledged to defend regulatory autonomy.
- HateAid’s leaders called the bans an "act of repression," said the measure questions European sovereignty, and vowed to continue supporting victims of online abuse.
- The dispute is rooted in EU enforcement of the Digital Services Act, including a recent €120 million fine on platform X, while Ahmed’s group says he resides in Washington and now risks removal from the U.S.