Police in Brussels were called to shut down an ongoing gathering seeing a number of right-wing leaders in attendance – including former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, British Politician Nigel Farage and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge venue, near the European Quarter in the Belgian capital, was set to last for the next two days, but police officers informed its organisers two hours into the conference that it had to come to a premature close.
Politico reported having heard a police officer telling one of the event’s organisers: “The authorities decided to shut the event due to possibility of public disorder.”
The event’s local organiser and chief of staff at right-wing think tank MCC, Anthony Gilland, claimed one of the reasons provided for the intervention by the police was “that there will be a counterprotest this afternoon around about 5 pm and the idea is that the police are not able to protect free speech at this event”.
Author Rod Dreher claimed on X that a local authority was “trying to shut off electricity”.
Stressing in a later tweet he was referring to the mayor of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district, the author wrote: “We are waiting for the cops now. Mayor trying to shut off electricity to hall, and catering. This is supposedly a free democratic country. EUROPE WAKE UP!”
Emir Kir, the mayor of the district where the Claridge is situated, had previously told Politico he would “immediately take measures to ban” NatCon, organised by the right-wing think tank Edmund Burke Foundation.
However, officials appeared to eventually decide to allow the event to continue, as reported by Sky News political editor Darren McCaffrey.
He wrote on X: “Police now suggesting they won’t be dragging people out of NatConTalk conference in Brussels but rather their tactic is that they are not letting anyone else in and people can leave and not re-enter the venue. Meanwhile, Suella Braverman is continuing to deliver her speech.”
Mr Farage, Reform UK’s spiritual leader and the architect of Brexit, managed to appear on stage and deliver a keynote speech.
Mr Farage hit out at Brussels in a video he posted on X, accusing the de facto capital of the European Union of getting “even worse” since he left his post as an MEP after Brexit.
He said: “On my way back to Brussels, it’s my first public visit there for four years since the day I left on the eve of us leaving the EU. I’m going to the NatCon conference this is run by the Edmund Burke Society, an American organisation.
“Lots of prominent European figures attending ahead of course of an important set of European elections in June of this year including Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary. Would you believe that Brussels appears to have got even worse in the four years since I’ve been there. We’ve now had not one but two venues cancel us holding this conference. Apparently the socialist mayor of Brussels doesn’t think this meeting should take place. Antifa and other organisations threatening to protest.”
As noted by the politician, the Claridge was the third space chosen for the conference.
The first space, Concert Noble, turned down the conference following a request by Socialist Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, it has been reported.
The second venue chosen for the conference was the Sofitel hotel but the event had to be moved again following reported pressure by the liberal mayor of the Etterbeek municipality.
Wow, Nigel Farage really surprised everyone with this win! It’s interesting to see how quickly Brussels changed course after the local mayor’s attempt to shut down the event. It’s alarming that the police had to intervene citing the possibility of public disorder. This incident raises important questions about the protection of free speech in today’s democratic societies. EUROPE WAKE UP!
Why did the local mayor try to shut down the event? Is there more to the story?