US State Dept. imposes sanctions against Europeans censoring Americas | Eastern NC Now

Signaling that the Trump administration is fed up with European attempting to censor the free speech of Americans and American companies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the imposition of the first round of sanctions against Europeans engaged in that censorship.  Rubio referred to it as "the censorship industrial complex".

The first set of sanctions will be against five individuals who were not named but have played major roles in efforts to censor Americans.  Rubio described them as "five individuals who have advanced censorship crackdowns" on American companies and individuals.  The sanctioned officials will be barred from entering the United States.

"The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship," Secretary Rubio declared, "Today the State Department will take steps to bar leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex from entering the United States.  We stand ready and willing to expand this list if others do not reverse course."

https://justthenews.com/government/diplomacy/rubio-issues-sanctions-european-officials-who-attempted-censor-american-free

https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2025/12/23/rubio-announces-sanctions-against-five-foreigners-who-conspired-to-stifle-free-speech-in-the-us-n2197436

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-admin-bans-anti-free-speech-eu-globalists-entering-us

https://justthenews.com/nation/free-speech/shot-heard-around-world-trump-shames-europe-anew-free-speech-censorship

Meanwhile, some European countries have launched a new front to try to suppress free speech and personal privacy by trying to ban use of VPN's.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/governments-west-turn-their-sights-vpns-they-escalate-assault-online-privacyanonymity