European Leaders Criticize US Entry Ban on Europeans in Censorship Rift

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other Europeans as agents of censorship.European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels on July 16, 2025. Yves Herman/Reuters12/24/2025|Updated: 12/24/2025European leaders expressed outrage on Tuesday and Wednesday after the U.S. State Department designated five European nationals—including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton—as anti-free speech activists to be blocked from entering the United States.On Dec. 23, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department had taken action against five individuals he described as “agents of the global censorship-industrial complex.”Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. Author’s Selected Articles