Belgium's prime minister criticized one of the country's leading universities on Wednesday over its plan to honor British director Ken Loach, following complaints that it has overlooked the filmmaker's alleged anti-Semitism.
In a speech at Brussels Grand Synagogue to mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's foundation, Premier Charles Michel said Loach's comments about Israel and its policy towards the Palestinians justified the withdrawal of the honorary doctorate.
"No accommodation with anti-Semitism can be tolerated, whatever its form. And that also goes for my own alma mater," Michel said.
Michel, 42, studied law at the Free University of Brussels, which has stood by plans to award Loach an honorary doctorate on Thursday after the 81-year-old director of 2016 Palme d'Or winner "I, Daniel Blake" strongly denied accusations that his long-time support for Palestinians was in any way anti-Semitic.
Loach, the director of numerous films going back to the 1970s, has earned harsh criticism over his calls for a cultural boycott of Israel. A fierce advocate of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, he has also pledged that "every penny" earned from the screening of the film in Israel would go to Palestinian organizations.
"Michel's statement may be read as a rejection of the honorary doctorate," his office told Belgian news site De Standaard on Wednesday.
"The prime minister has studied the file and believes that he [Loach] has recently made controversial statements that justify the withdrawal of that honorary doctorate. Obviously, the prime minister does not have to deal with academic freedom, the university does not need the permission of the prime minister in any way, but he does give his opinion. At the moment it does not seem appropriate to him to honor such a person," the statement said.
According to British daily The Guardian, it was unclear to which remarks by Loach Michel was referring, although the director has strongly defended the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn against accusations that he is allowing anti-Semitism to continue in his party.
Loach said this month that Labour MPs who joined a protest against anti-Semitism should be "kicked out."
