Law enforcement officers in Brussels, Belgium attempted to shut down a two-day conservative conference in the city this week after the district mayor cited “public safety concerns” over the “far-right” gathering. The National Conservatism (NatCon) Conference in the heart of the European Union—which will address topics like immigration and national sovereignty and feature speakers ranging from political commentators to European heads of state—was eventually allowed to proceed after an emergency court order, and now attendees are raising concerns about assaults on free speech.
On orders from Emir Kir, Mayor of Brussels’ Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district, police entered the conference venue on Tuesday morning, disrupting a speech by British politician Nigel Farage. Officers quickly took up positions at the building’s entrances, preventing others from getting inside.
Notable NatCon attendees include American commentator Rod Dreher, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, and British politician Suella Braverman, among other notable right-wing figures.
Following the shutdown of the venue, Mayor Kir added “In Etterbeek, Brussels City, and Saint-Josse, the far-right is not welcome.” Police documents reviewed by the UK-based Telegraph also indicated that the mayor was concerned that speakers like Farage could “lead to public disorder or display racist or homophobic views.”
The mayor also threatened to cut off electricity to the venue hosting the event in a possible violation of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees free speech and assembly.
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“The left-wing totalitarians that run the EU know that National Conservatives and their message pose the greatest threat to their misrule,” said Yoram Hazony, an organizer of the conference. “That’s why they’ve abandoned every paean to liberal values and pulled out all the stops to shut us down. National Conservatism — both the movement and this conference — will continue undeterred.”
In a late-night emergency ruling, the Conseil d’État, Belgium’s highest court, determined that Kir had overstepped his authority and violated the country’s constitution, further indicating that the only danger to public safety at the event came from left-wing counter-protesters.
“The court decided that ‘Article 26 of the Constitution [of Belgium] grants everyone the right to assemble peacefully,’ and although the mayor has the authority to make police ordinances in case of “serious disturbance of the public peace or other unforeseen events,” in this case there was no sufficient threat of violence to justify this,” said a statement from The Alliance Defending Freedom International, which backed NatCon organizers in the legal challenge.
“Open dialogue is supposed to be at the core of European politics; yet here in the capital of the EU, a thoughtful exchange on policy has been shut down by unilateral decree,” Paul Coleman, the Executive Director of ADF International and a speaker at the conference on National Conservatism, said in a statement. “This is a watershed moment where the true censorship crisis in Europe is on full public display. The crushing of political opinions opposed by those in power is something that should be relegated to the darker chapters of European history.”
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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