❓WHAT HAPPENED: France summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner over comments made by the Trump administration regarding the murder of conservative Catholic student Quentin Déranque, which France found objectionable. Kushner did not attend the meeting, and his government access has now been restricted.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and the Trump administration.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Events unfolded in Paris, France, with a summons issued Monday evening and responses on Tuesday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country.” – Jean-Noël Barrot
🎯IMPACT: Kushner’s access to French officials has been suspended until he complies with the summons.
France’s Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner on Monday evening over comments made by the Trump administration regarding the murder of conservative Catholic student Quentin Déranque. French officials stated that Kushner did not attend the meeting, leading to criticism from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
Barrot described Kushner’s absence as “a surprise” and said it violated diplomatic protocol. “It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country,” Barrot stated. He emphasized that an ambassador must have access to government officials to effectively perform their duties.
The U.S. Embassy in Paris has not commented on the matter despite requests from the media. Kushner’s access to French government officials will remain suspended until he complies with the summons, according to Barrot. “When these explanations have taken place, then the U.S. ambassador in France will, naturally, regain access to members of the French government,” he added.
The summons was prompted by a statement from the U.S. State Department‘s Counterterrorism Bureau, which highlighted the role of “violent radical leftism” in Deranque’s killing. “Reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all. 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,” it said.
The U.S. Embassy in Paris posted the same statement in French, drawing objections from French officials who viewed it as interference in domestic matters. “We don’t accept that foreign countries can come and interfere, invite themselves, into the national political debate,” Barrot complained.
Déranque was providing informal protection for a protest organized by the right-wing feminist group Collectif Némésis outside Sciences Po Lyon, where a lecture by far-left Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rima Hassan of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed/LFI) was taking place. The National Pulse reported earlier this month that French authorities had arrested four people in connection with the killing of Déranque, who died after suffering severe brain injuries.
According to local reporting, those detained include Jacques-Élie Favrot, a parliamentary assistant to radical leftist legislator Raphaël Arnault, and Adrian Besseyre, a former intern for Arnault.
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