The Diplomat
The Spanish government expressed its solidarity on Wednesday, December 24, with former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who was barred from entering the US by the State Department on charges of exercising “censorship” against American technology platforms.
“The Spanish government expresses its solidarity with former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and with the leaders of civil society organizations fighting against disinformation and hate speech, in light of the visa restrictions imposed by the United States, which constitute unacceptable measures between partners and allies,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.
“A safe digital space, free from illicit content and disinformation, is a fundamental value for democracy in Europe and a responsibility for all. The Digital Services Regulation protects this space without discrimination,” it added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has banned five Europeans (including Breton) from entering the country, accusing them of pressuring US tech companies to censor or suppress American viewpoints.
The sanctioned individuals, he asserted, “have led organized efforts to coerce US platforms into censoring, demonetizing, and suppressing American viewpoints.” According to Rubio, the five expelled individuals are part of a “global censorship industrial complex” comprised of “radical” activists and “instrumentalized” NGOs acting in collusion with foreign governments against US companies and citizens.
“For too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce US platforms into punishing American viewpoints they reject,” Rubio declared on social media. “The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” he added.
The European Commission has “strongly condemned the US decision to impose travel restrictions” on Breton and the other four Europeans expelled. “If necessary, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,” it added in a statement.
Breton, a businessman and former French finance minister, clashed on social media last year with tech billionaire Elon Musk over the streaming of an online interview with Donald Trump in the months leading up to the US elections.