A senior royal in Belgium said in an interview published last week that criticism of his conduct reminds him of the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
Prince Laurent, who has a record both of making provocative statements and of controversy around his use of public funds, made the remark in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, prompting criticism by Belgian Jews.
Laurent said he feels that he has become a “punching bag” solely “because I’m the brother or son of a king. When this sort of thing happens, I think immediately about the Jews who were shot dead only because they were Jewish.
The prince — younger brother to Philippe, king of the Belgians – is the subject of criticism in parliament for allegedly submitting inaccurate reports of his work hours.
Following criticism over the comparison, Laurent said he would visit the Kazerne Dossin Holocaust Memorial in Mechelen in September, according to Michael Freilich, editor-in-chief of the Joods Actueel newspaper.
