Questions still linger after Brussels police ejected two journalists from Sunday's event in Cinquantenaire Park celebrating 250 years of American independence.
Video footage taken at the event shows two journalists from the European Correspondent – who were present as official press invitees – approaching US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White inside the park to ask him a question.
"I went to speak to Ambassador White as he was moving out of the VIP section to then go up into the stands; that's where I shook his hand, introduced myself, and then went to ask the question," journalist Samuel Dempsey told The Brussels Times on Tuesday.
White, the organiser of the event, appeared to be initially receptive upon meeting Dempsey, but footage shows a member of White's entourage quickly cutting him off.
"As I'm trying to ask the question, that's the part that we have on video that you can see on social media, where his, I assume, his press officer, but I don't actually know who she was, was basically yelling at me, no photos, no photos, and I was like, no, it's not a photo, it's a question," Dempsey continued.
Julius Fintelmann and Samuel Dempsey from the European Correspondent, after being kicked out of the event. Credit: Linkedin/Samuel Dempsey
Shortly afterwards, Dempsey and his editor, Julius Fintelmann, who was with him during the event, were approached by "unidentified" individuals.
"When the flyover started, and the national anthem was playing, all of a sudden I'm surrounded and physically pressed by unidentified people," Dempsey explained, specifying that the security officers were not American and spoke in French.
The officers reportedly did not confirm who they were, but asked him who he was and if he spoke French, to which he said no. After telling him that he needed to come with them, they allegedly started pushing him and physically trying to get him out of the park. Dempsey and Fintelmann did not film the incident. "Unfortunately, that part we don't have on film," said Dempsey.
The journalist reiterated that he had been invited as a member of the press, and it was only after a few minutes that the men said they were police officers, first flashing an armband but eventually showing an official badge.
"When we were speaking with the police themselves, they said that they were from a counter-narcotics unit, but were there just because their boss had told them to help with security," Dempsey explained.
Faced with the journalist continuing to argue his case – that he was doing his job – the officers allegedly became more forceful.
"At this point," said Dempsey, "one of the event organisers came over – because this was during the national anthem – and was like: 'Hey, calm down,' to everyone. They were just worried about making a scene, of course, which I think was kind of interesting, because they were making a scene."
Brussels police respond
After handing over his ID to the police, Dempsey, along with his editor, Fintelmann, were questioned about their media outlet, whether it had a political agenda, and how they had gained access to the event.
"They [the police officers] basically said that they were told that we were an active threat, or that I was an active threat, and I need to be removed from the crowd and taken out of the event," Dempsey claims. "But then they also said that their communications were jammed by the US Embassy, so that no one could communicate, except for diplomatic security."
Approached for comment by The Brussels Times, the Brussels-Ixelles police zone confirmed on Tuesday that they had been involved in the incident, stating they had been approached by the protocol service over an "active threat".
"At one point, our services were called upon by the protocol unit, which reported threatening behaviour by two individuals towards the ambassador," a spokesperson told The Brussels Times on Tuesday. "At the request of the embassy’s protocol unit, we escorted them out of the perimeter so that they could leave the site."
US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White and Prime Minister Bart De Wever pictured during a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US independence, at the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels on Sunday 28 June 2026. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The police further stressed that no arrests were made and no violence was used.
The spokesperson did not respond to a question about the Brussels police's communications having been jammed by US officials for security reasons.
'Losers'
After the incident, the European Correspondent reached out to White for a comment. In his response, which The Brussels Times has seen, White wrote,"both of you are losers".
The outlet reports that the ambassador appears to have confused them with an individual who wrote to the Zac Brown Band asking the band to drop out of the Cinquantenaire party – the subject of Dempsey’s original question to White during the event.
Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot pictured during a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US Independence, organised by the US Embassy at Cinquantenaire park in Brussels. Credit: Belga
Dempsey, a US citizen who was due to become a US civil servant until the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut his position, underlined that he will "digest the events of the past few days", but is unsure if he will lodge a formal complaint.
"It's definitely all unacceptable and shocking to have taken place in Brussels," Dempsey said. "There should be nothing adversarial between my work and what he's doing, but he's choosing to make it that way."
The case has caught the attention of foreign press federations, who have expressed their support with the journalists.
"Detained by Belgian police as an 'active threat'… for asking a question the US ambassador did not like. This is unacceptable on Belgian soil, in the heart of Europe," said Dafydd ab Iago, president of the Foreign Correspondents Association in Brussels.
A spokesperson from the Belgian Foreign Ministry reiterated that: "Freedom of the press is, of course, a fundamental principle in Belgium," while adding: "Any allegation that journalists were prevented from carrying out their work must be assessed by the competent authorities."
For Dempsey, the lack of response from the Belgian authorities over this incident is one of the "most shocking" aspects of this story.
"It’s no surprise that this administration wants to violate press freedoms. They do it every day in the United States.
"It's shocking that they feel comfortable doing it in the heart of Europe and overseas, but it's more shocking to me to see the lack of response or accountability coming from the Belgians," Dempsey concluded.
The US Embassy to Belgium and the Mayor of the City of Brussels were approached for a comment, but did not provide a response by the time of publication.
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