The diplomatic spat between Belgium and the United States took a sharper turn on Friday evening after the US ambassador to Belgium publicly
claimed that Conner Rousseau, leader of the Flemish socialist party Vooruit, is no longer allowed to travel to the United States.
The remark came from Bill White, who posted a strongly worded response on Instagram beneath a video shared by NWS, the youth-focused news platform of Flemish public broadcaster VRT. “Disgusting. Conner Rousseau, you are officially banned from travel to the USA. Period,” White wrote in capital letters.
The ambassador’s comment is the latest flashpoint in a diplomatic row that has been simmering for nearly a week. Tensions first flared after Rousseau posted a video online criticising the US immigration agency ICE, in which he drew a comparison between former US president Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. White had earlier warned that Rousseau’s comments could have diplomatic consequences, describing them as unacceptable.
Rousseau hit back on Instagram, calling the American response a “dangerous precedent”. “Anyone who criticises Trump is no longer allowed to enter the US,” he wrote. “Freedom of speech matters. Our prosperity and our economy matter. I will continue to stand up for that.”
Earlier in the week, White had formally urged the Belgian government to intervene. In a letter, he asked federal authorities to reprimand Rousseau and to “immediately condemn” his remarks, which the ambassador described as “totally unreasonable and unacceptable”.
The broader dispute predates the ICE video. It began on Monday when White criticised a judicial investigation into religious circumcisions in Antwerp, branding the probe anti-Semitic. In the same context, he also lashed out at Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke, a fellow Vooruit member, calling him “very rude”.
As of now, neither the Belgian government nor US authorities have confirmed whether Rousseau is formally subject to a travel ban. However, the ambassador’s public statement has further inflamed an already sensitive diplomatic situation between Brussels and Washington. Photo by Vlaams Parlement, Wikimedia commons.