France has blocked US ambassador Charles Kushner's direct access to cabinet members after he failed to appear for a summons over comments about the killing of a far-right activist.
The move comes amid increasing tension between the US and Europe over what Europeans view as interference in internal affairs in breach of diplomatic protocol.
“In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honour of representing one’s country", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has requested that Mr Kushner "no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government", French diplomatic sources said on Monday.
The statement called on Mr Kushner to present himself at the ministry as requested "to smooth over the irritants which, inevitably, can arise in a 250-year-old friendship".
Unusual rebuke
The restriction on Mr Kushner marks an unusual rebuke between long-standing allies. It was the second time that Mr Kushner did not come in person to a French Foreign Ministry summons. In August, Mr Kushner sent his deputy to receive a dressing down after he sparked the French government’s ire with an editorial that accused President Emmanuel Macron of not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism.
The latest summons came after Mr Kushner appeared to take a stand in what has been described as France's "Charlie Kirk" moment by prominent former foreign minister Dominique de Villepin.
Political tension between the far-left and the far-right increased after the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, 23, in Lyon during a street fight with alleged members of a banned self-defence anti-fascist group with ties to the leftist political party France Unbowed.
A march on Saturday to honour Mr Deranque, organised by far-right groups and about 3,200 people, took place in Lyon without violence but with a huge police presence on the streets. Local media reported that authorities have asked police to investigate Nazi salutes and homophobic and racist slurs during the event.
The incident has caused concern in France about possible violence in the coming municipal and presidential elections. Mr Macron was scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday with cabinet ministers to discuss how to counter violent extremist groups that have links to political parties.
Mr Kushner had been summoned to the French Foreign Ministry after the US Embassy in Paris posted a French translation of a statement on X from the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism warning that “violent radical leftism” was on the rise and citing the killing of the young activist as evidence of a threat to public safety.
In an interview with France Info radio on Tuesday morning, Mr Barrot said the ban will “naturally” affect Mr Kushner’s ability to carry out his duties as an ambassador. The minister said the diplomat, father of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will not recover access until he explains himself to the foreign ministry.
Mr Barrot said he expected Mr Kushner to also explain recent US sanctions on French officials, including former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton.
Last week, US ambassador to Belgium Bill White accused the Belgian government of anti-Semitism amid a spat over an investigation into illegal ritual circumcision. After appearing at his summons at the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Mr White did not apologise for directly attacking Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, a move described by Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot as violating "basic diplomatic norms".
In Poland, another close US ally, US ambassador Tom Rose was this month involved in a public spat with Parliament Speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty after he refused to back the nomination of US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace prize. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged restraint, saying that "allies should respect each other, not lecture each other".
With agencies
