France blocks US access after charles kushner no-show; Charles Kushner barred from ministers

France has moved to block direct government access for charles kushner after the US ambassador to Paris failed to attend a summoned meeting. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Kushner must explain his refusal to comply with a foreign ministry summons before he can resume normal diplomatic duties.

Summons and the 7pm meeting

Charles Kushner was summoned to meet the foreign minister on Monday evening and did not show up for a meeting at the ministry that had been scheduled for 7pm on Monday. The summons related to US comments that followed the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon; those comments were reposted by the US embassy in Paris after having been issued by the US state department's counterterrorism bureau on social media. Kushner said he had a prior engagement and sent a senior embassy official in his place.

Barrot's response and diplomatic limits

Jean-Noël Barrot said the ambassador "needs to be able to have this discussion with us, with [the foreign ministry], so that he can resume the normal exercise of his duties as ambassador in France. " The foreign ministry announced on Monday night that it had requested the US ambassador be denied direct access to French government ministers, while allowing him to continue to talk to foreign ministry officials. Barrot suggested on Tuesday that Kushner would now also be blocked from talking to government officials until he explained his refusal to respect what the minister called the "basic" rules of conduct and behaviour of foreign diplomats.

Barrot's public warnings and quotes

Barrot urged customary diplomatic behaviour, saying: "When you have the honour of representing your country, the United States of America, in France as ambassador, you abide by the most basic customs of diplomacy and you respond to summonses from the foreign ministry. " He added: "I believe all French people share the same feeling. " Barrot also said: "We do not accept that foreign countries can come and interfere in, then insert themselves into, our national political debate, whatever the circumstances. " He maintained the incident would "in no way affect the relationship between France and the United States", which he said had "weathered other storms", but that it would "naturally affect [Kushner's] ability to carry out his mission in our country. " Barrot said the conversation "needs to be had" and that Paris also wanted to raise US sanctions against European figures such as Thierry Breton who have been barred from the United States.

Deranque attack, injuries and dates

The row over the ambassador began after comments about the killing of Quentin Deranque. Deranque was described in different reports as a far-right activist and as a 23-year-old maths student. He came under attack near an event by a leading radical left politician in Lyon on 12 February, suffering head injuries. He died in hospital on 14 February, two days after being beaten by a gang of masked young men during clashes between radical left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a protest in Lyon.

Legal fallout and political reactions

Six men suspected of involvement in Deranque's death have been charged, and a parliamentary assistant to a deputy from the radical left France Unbowed (LFI) party has been charged with complicity. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said his party had "nothing to do with this story" and condemned "all forms of violence", adding: "We express our consternation, but also our empathy and compassion for [Deranque's] family and friends. " On Saturday some 3, 000 people joined a march in memory of Deranque, whose killing has highlighted deep political tensions in France. French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday, which he had earlier said would "assess all the violent action groups that are active and have links with political parties. " Paris rejected any attempts to use the incident "for political ends. "

Charles Kushner's record and past summons

This was Kushner's second no-show since his appointment to the Paris embassy last May. He also failed to attend after a summons in August, when French officials met a representative instead following an open letter he wrote to Emmanuel Macron criticising what he described as a lack of government action to tackle the "dramatic rise of antisemitism in France. " The 71-year-old businessman was named US ambassador to France last year by Donald Trump. Diplomatic sources told French media Kushner, a real-estate magnate with an estimated net worth of $3. 2bn (£2. 4bn), cited personal commitments for not attending and sent a senior embassy official. In 2020 he was pardoned by Donald Trump after pleading guilty to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations years earlier.

US statements and monitoring

The US state department's counterterrorism bureau said it was monitoring the case and posted that "violent radical leftism" was on the rise and should be treated as a public safety threat. One posted line said, "reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all. " The Bureau's statement also began "We expect to see the perp" — unclear in the provided context. The US embassy posted the same statement in French. Paris has said it "must have an explanation" of the comments and has rejected any interference in its national political debate.

French ministers have been asked to bar direct access to the ambassador until he meets the summons and addresses the foreign ministry's concerns; embassy contacts with foreign ministry officials may continue in the meantime.