The 250th anniversary of the #US Declaration of Independence has been celebrated in many American embassies too.

Except that these were not Congress-approved events.

As it often happens in the #Trump administration, they were organized by a private company called Freedom 250.

A few days before the event, the American ambassador to Belgium threatened a Belgian citizen after they urged the American band Zac Brown Band not to perform at the event.

Two journalists from the European Correspondent invited to the event in Brussels tried to question the US ambassador about his threat towards a EU citizen and about the funding of the event.

20 minutes later, they were escorted out by 8 police officers who confiscated their IDs and questioned them about the political leaning of their news outlet.

https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/the-us-ambassador-had-belgian-police-stop-our-reporting

For context, Bill White, the US ambassador to Belgium, has already sparked controversy for insulting Belgian politicians and threatening a socialist MP with a travel ban to the US.

The reason for the threat was an investigation into three Orthodox Jewish men practicing circumcision without a valid medical license, and White accused those behind the investigation of being antisemitic.

During the Nazi era, these were some of the countries that shut down their German embassies:

• UK (September 1939)
• France (September 1939)
• USSR (June 1941)
• US (December 1941)
• Brazil (1942)
• Mexico (1942)
• Most of Latin America

When fascism takes over, it is a duty to contain it, isolate it and prevent it from seeping as an exported good into the fabric of a democracy - even through embassies.

Bill White is an ambassador of a fascist regime and he abides to the same principles (threats, insults, intimidation, plutocracy, contempt towards freedom of speech and legitimate criticism) espoused by all fascist regimes.

Therefore, he is not welcome in Europe, and it’s time for European countries to start considering shutting down their American embassies.

#USPol #EUPol