US ambassador says Vooruit leader is “banned from travel to the US” amid diplomatic row
US ambassador Bill White has declared that Conner Rousseau, leader of the Flemish socialist party Vooruit, is no longer allowed to travel to the United States. White made this statement on Friday evening in response to a video posted on Instagram by NWS.NWS.NWS, the VRT's news channel for young people. The statement is part of a broader diplomatic row that has been going on for almost a week.
"Disgusting. Conner Rousseau, you are officially banned from travel to the USA #period," White wrote in capital letters under a video about the diplomatic row with Rousseau. The ambassador had previously threatened diplomatic sanctions against the Vooruit leader because of a video about the US immigration service ICE that he posted online, in which he compared president Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.
In a response on Instagram, Rousseau called the American démarche a dangerous precedent. “Anyone who criticises Trump is no longer allowed to enter the US. Freedom of speech is important. Our prosperity and economy are important. I will continue to stand up for that.”
Earlier, the US ambassador called on the Belgian government in a letter to reprimand Rousseau after the Instagram video. “Totally unreasonable and unacceptable,” White said. “The United States calls on the Belgian government to immediately condemn Mr. Rousseau's statements.”
The diplomatic row with the US ambassador to Belgium began on Monday when he criticised a judicial investigation into religious circumcisions in Antwerp. According to White, that investigation is anti-Semitic. He also called minister of health Frank Vandenbroucke of Vooruit “very rude”.
#FlandersNewsService | US ambassador to Belgium Bill White © BELGA PHOTO MARIUS BURGELMAN
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