France’s foreign minister has limited US Ambassador Charles Kushner’s direct access to government officials after he failed to attend a required diplomatic meeting. The dispute stems from controversial US statements about the death of a far-right activist in France.
PARIS (AP) — France’s foreign minister announced Monday that US Ambassador Charles Kushner will face restrictions on his direct access to French government officials following his failure to attend a mandatory diplomatic meeting.
Kushner was ordered to appear at France’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Monday evening to address controversial statements made by the Trump administration regarding the fatal beating of a far-right activist, but diplomatic sources confirm he did not attend.
Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot implemented the access restrictions citing “this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of the mission of an ambassador, who has the honor of representing his country.”
Despite the diplomatic tensions, French officials indicated willingness to resolve the dispute.
“It remains, of course, possible for Ambassador Charles Kushner to carry out his duties and present himself at the Quai d’Orsay, so that we may hold the diplomatic discussions needed to smooth over the irritants that can inevitably arise in a friendship spanning 250 years,” the ministry stated.
The diplomatic crisis began after the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau published a social media post declaring that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.” The US Embassy subsequently shared this statement on its social platforms.
Deranque, who was involved in far-right activism, succumbed to severe brain trauma earlier this month following a violent assault in Lyon, France. The attack occurred during clashes on the sidelines of a student gathering featuring a far-left politician as the main speaker.
The incident has intensified France’s already volatile political atmosphere as the nation approaches its upcoming presidential election.
“We reject any instrumentalization of this tragedy, which has plunged a French family into mourning, for political ends,” Barrot declared over the weekend. “We have no lessons to learn, particularly on the issue of violence, from the international reactionary movement.”
The State Department’s original post asserted that “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice.”
This marks the second time Kushner has avoided a diplomatic summons, having previously failed to appear in August when called to explain his correspondence to French President Emmanuel Macron criticizing France’s efforts to combat antisemitism. On that occasion, French officials met with a representative from the US embassy instead.