Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton has criticised the US government’s travel ban against him, comparing it to the McCarthy-era campaign against American communists in the 1950s.
On Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on five Europeans, including Breton, for their advocacy of stricter regulations on the technology sector.
Washington claims the individuals targeted are censoring American companies and has barred them from entering the country.
The sanctions include representatives of non-government organisations working to combat online disinformation and hate speech.
Breton criticised the decision and clarified that the European Parliament and all 27 Member States voted in favour of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European legislation that obliges large platforms to take measures to better protect internet users against disinformation and hate speech.
"To our American friends: 'Censorship isn’t where you think it is,'"Breton wrote on X.
Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back? 🧹
As a reminder: 90% of the European Parliament — our democratically elected body — and all 27 Member States unanimously voted the DSA 🇪🇺 To our American friends: “Censorship isn’t where you think it is.” — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) December 23, 2025
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot strongly condemned the US visa restrictions against Breton and the four other Europeans, calling them unjust. He also emphasised that the DSA is not extraterritorial and does not impact the United States in any way.
