Overview
- The State Department barred entry to former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed, Anna‑Lena von Hodenberg, Josephine Ballon and Clare Melford under a policy targeting those deemed responsible for suppressing protected U.S. speech.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the five led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize and suppress U.S. viewpoints, describing Breton as the mastermind behind the EU's Digital Services Act.
- The European Commission condemned the decision as unjustified, requested clarifications from Washington and said it would respond quickly and decisively if needed to defend the EU’s regulatory sovereignty.
- French President Emmanuel Macron called the restrictions intimidation aimed at undermining Europe’s digital sovereignty, and officials in Germany and Spain also criticized the U.S. action.
- Breton rejected the accusations as a McCarthy‑style witch hunt and noted the DSA’s democratic approval, while the targeted NGOs said the move is an authoritarian attack on free expression; the clash follows the EU’s recent fine against X.