The US Ambassador in Belgium, Bill White, has called on the Belgian government to condemn pronouncements by Flemish socialist leader Conner Rousseau (Vooruit). Mr Rousseau’s party is one of 5 in the federal government coalition. The ambassador’s request appears in a letter that is the subject of a report in the Flemish daily De Morgen and that has been seen by the Belga press agency.
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US Ambassador Bill White asks Belgian government to condemn Flemish socialist leader Conner Rousseau
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The letter speaks of an ‘official complaint’ from the US government about Rousseau. The reason for this is an Instagram video in which the Vooruit leader compares US President Donald Trump to Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany. ‘Totally unreasonable and unacceptable,’ says White. ‘The United States calls on the Belgian government immediately to condemn Mr Rousseau's statements.’
The ambassador handed over the letter yesterday during his meeting with Theodora Gentzis, Belgium’s highest diplomatic official.
The Belgian government does not plan to take any action with regard to Mr White's complaint.
In his post Conner Rousseau says that 80 years ago Hitler and the Nazis turned Europe into a hell. He speaks of “the far-right Trump and his ICE private army detaining innocent 5-year-old children and executing nurses working around the clock to help others and lies like nothing is happening… It is history repeating itself and we have all seen the consequences… It’s despicable. Trump’s far right buddies, first-hour fans, will be cheering now ICE is even coming to Europe… Let it be a wake-up call. This goes too far.”