Two days before Christmas, the European Commission—essentially the executive branch of the European Union (E.U.)—protested U.S. travel restrictions against five residents of the bloc. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the five were sanctioned for "organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose." Whether the penalties were appropriate is worth a conversation, but there's no doubt the five played a role in growing efforts by government officials in the E.U.—and elsewhere, including the U.S.—to muzzle views they don't like.
