Macron Calls on Trump to Lift Sanctions on French Officials
In a letter addressed directly to Trump, Macron singled out Nicolas Guillou, a sitting judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Thierry Breton, a former European Commissioner, as central figures in the dispute.
"I wish to personally draw your attention to the sanctions imposed by the United States against several European citizens, including two French nationals, Nicolas Guillou, a judge at the International Criminal Court, and Thierry Breton, a former European commissioner," Macron wrote, as cited by La Tribune Dimanche.
The French leader pressed further: "I ask you to reconsider these decisions by your administration and to lift the sanctions unjustly imposed on Nicolas Guillou and Thierry Breton."
Beyond these two figures, the penalties extend to three additional French nationals affiliated with NGOs that track online disinformation and hate speech. Upon announcing the measures in December, the U.S. State Department declared: "These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states—in each case targeting American speakers and American companies."
Breton, widely regarded as the primary architect behind the EU's Digital Services Act and a forceful proponent of tighter tech platform oversight, has been barred from entering the United States since December 2025. Washington has accused him of driving "censorship" policies that damage American interests.
Judge Guillou's situation is equally severe. Sanctioned in August 2025 alongside fellow ICC magistrates over proceedings linked to an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he has been denied U.S. entry and seen his Visa card — issued through an American payment network — cancelled by his French bank. He is also locked out of American digital services including Airbnb and Amazon.
Macron framed the restrictions on Guillou as an affront to the rule of law: "The sanctions adopted against Nicolas Guillou undermine the principle of judicial independence and the mandate of the ICC."
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