Former EU commissioner Thierry Breton suggested in a social media post on Tuesday that a “witch hunt” was taking place in response to a US announcement that it would deny visas to him and several others.

“Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back?” Breton said on X.

The US State Department said earlier it would deny visas to Breton, a former European tech regulator, and four others, accusing them of seeking to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.

READ ALSO: US Denies Visas To EU Ex-Commissioner, Four Others

Breton was described by the US State Department as the “mastermind” of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a major piece of legislation that imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.

AFP