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Von der Leyen: EU will continue to defend freedom of expression
2025-12-24 21:26:46 / BOTA
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Union will continue to defend freedom of expression.
"Freedom of speech is the foundation of strong European democracy. We are proud of it. We will defend it ," von der Leyen stressed in a post on the X platform.
While the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, for his part, said that sanctions against the five European countries were unacceptable among allies, partners and friends.
"The EU is steadfast in defending freedom of expression, fair digital rules and its sovereignty to impose regulatory rules ," he noted in his post on the same platform.
In addition to the EU and French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany has also strongly condemned the US travel ban on five Europeans it accuses of censoring online platforms. In addition to Breton, who was the architect of the European Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes regulations on platforms, such as flagging problematic content, the sanctions target four directors and founders of non-governmental organizations that combat or document hate speech online.
These are Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodeberg, the general directors of the German organization HateAid, Imran Ahmed, founder of the US/UK Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Claire Melford, founder of the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI). German Foreign Minister Johann Vandevoll called Washington's measures unacceptable, noting that the DSA was adopted through democratic procedures and applies only within the European Union.
"What is illegal outside the internet is also illegal inside it ," he said in a post on the X platform, adding that any disputes should be resolved through dialogue.
Germany's justice minister said HateAid supports victims of illegal hate speech online, but does not censor any views.
"Anyone who calls it censorship is misinterpreting our constitutional system ," she said, emphasizing that the rules by which we want to live in the digital world in Germany and Europe are not set in Washington.
Meanwhile, Breton himself condemned the measures as a witch hunt. During his time as Commissioner, between 2019-24, he clashed repeatedly with billionaire Elon Musk, whose X platform was recently fined 120 million euros by Brussels for violating transparency regulations.
The administration of US President Donald Trump justified the sanctions by accusing the five individuals and their organizations of acting as "radical" activists and seeking to pressure American platforms to silence "American views."
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