Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the American diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister. File Photo by Olivier Hoslet/EPA
Aug. 28 (UPI) — Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the U.S. diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister.
White posted an AI-generated image of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on a cigar box, apparently mocking the minister’s efforts to change how alcohol companies display health warnings on products.
The box read, “Damages every form of joy in life,” while White captioned the image, “Who’s the biggest loser in Belgium?”
“It is unacceptable that an ambassador uses such insulting language against a member of government,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said in a statement to Politico.
This is the second time White has been summoned over comments made toward the health minister.
In February, he accused Belgium of antisemitism over an investigation of three mohels for performing ritual circumcisions without a doctor present.
White called the move “ridiculous” and demanded Brussels drop its investigation.
He said Vanenbroucke was “very rude” and asked for his intervention in the case, adding, “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium.”
On Friday, White’s comments about the health minister also drew criticism from Conner Rousseau, who leads the political party Vooruit.
“Bill can be a funny guy,” said Rousseau, whose party includes Vanenbroucke, in a statement on Instagram. “But he knows nothing about healthcare.
“He only repeats what daddy Trump says. They only care about money, not our health.”