A Christmas video of Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder and Army Chief Michel Hofmann drew criticism in Belgium on Friday. “He can play if he wants, but not with our tax money,” said Georges-Louis Boucher, leader of the liberal-conservative Reform Movement party, according to the news agency. Belgian and The Huffington Post.

In a video posted on social media, Hoffman and Dedonder deliver Christmas messages to service members. In the next scenario, they have to rescue Santa at sea with the help of a naval patrol boat.

In the recording, Socialist Minister Alexandre De Croo appears aboard the Belgian Navy’s Pollux patrol ship together with Admiral Michel Hofmann, commander of the Belgian army, writes News.ro.

They congratulate each other in French and Dutch on a successful year for the army until the alarm goes off.

The minister and the admiral, warned that Santa Claus is in danger aboard the wrecked ship, jump in to save him.

They dress in military overalls, get on a speedboat and go to rescue Santa with his presents, after which they return to the Pollux to congratulate themselves and wish the population.

Some politicians criticize the clip because it wastes public money

Lyvidin Dedonder is criticized because of this clip. Many politicians condemn the waste of public money.

The minister “can play if he wants, but not with our tax money, and he must respect the institution”, condemns the X president of the Reform Movement (MR, Liberal, Conservative), the fourth force in the Belgian House of Representatives and part of the coalition government of Georges -Louis Boucher.

“Imagine Putin watching this video,” he quips in a sacrificial tone.

“Europe is at war, the world is in serious conflict, but the defense minister is using public money and military resources to play.”

“While the minister was influencing, two weeks ago the ex-general Thies emphasized that if war breaks out in Belgium, we will have to throw stones in just a few hours due to lack of ammunition,” another MR member, Jose Veniti, told X.

“A political marketing operation (…) while the war is wreaking havoc 2,000 kilometers away,” laments Mr. Denis Ducarme, criticizing the “mobilization of state and military resources.”

“Dedonder may be having fun, but we at MR are not having fun at all. What she did harms Belgium’s image, including at the international level,” he told the Sudinfo website.

Theo Franken, a member of the N-VA (nationalist, Flemish) party, elected as a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, says that “sometimes I feel sorry for our defense chief.”

How to protect Ludivine Dedonder

The minister simply dismissed the criticism in a statement sent to the Belgian press agency Belga.

She emphasizes that with this “detached and humorous” recording, she only wanted to “thank the employees” of the Ministry of Defense and assures that “not a single cent of public funds was spent on the filming of this video.”

She accuses Sudinfo of maliciousizing X users and appreciates that her messages have been well received elsewhere.

“This video is only liked on Instagram and Facebook. Only on Twitter, as always, it has a negative connotation, and the press will keep it quiet,” she says.

She is attacked for pulling the steering wheel to the “left”, that is, to the left, possible criticism from liberal allies, she defends herself. “Regarding the leaning of the message to port, if the minister was on the right, he would be criticized for turning to starboard.

This is a false polemic and a “modern way of communication,” she defends herself.