Belgium summons U.S. ambassador over insulting post about health minister

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has summoned U.S. Ambassador Bill White in response to derogatory remarks made about Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, according to Belga News Agency on August 28. The controversy arose from a dispute over a new law imposing stricter health warnings on alcohol advertising in Belgium. White, in an Instagram post, shared an AI-generated image of Vandenbroucke, captioning it "Destroys all joy in life" and asking "Who is the biggest loser in Belgium?"

This post drew sharp criticism from the Belgian government, with Prévot stating that such conduct is unacceptable for an ambassador representing Belgium. The foreign minister plans to summon White in the coming days to address the matter. Belgium has recently been engaged in a debate over the new health warning requirements, which have been met with opposition from the country's brewers.

White has a history of making controversial public statements that invoke right-wing populist sentiments. Prior to this incident, Prévot has also summoned White for similar reasons.