Attendees at a conference on national conservatism were plunged into chaos on Tuesday as police attempted to shut down the conference, barricading the entrance to the building and causing a flurry of outrage, POLITICO reports.
The National Conservatism Conference was due to host Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán and British politician Nigel Farage over the next two days, but law enforcement arrived two hours after the event began at the Claridge’s venue near the European Quarter to inform organisers that the event would be shut down. A police officer heard by POLITICO told one of the organisers:
The authorities decided to shut down the event due to possibility of public disorder.
At 11 a.m., the shutters were already down on the building where Brexit architect Farage was due to deliver his keynote speech. As he climbed onto the stage and watched the drama that continued to unfold outside the building, Farage called the Brussels authorities “just monstrous” for trying to cancel the event. “I knew I would not be welcome in Brussels,” the former MEP lamented.
Frank Füredi, one of the organisers from right-wing think tank MCC Brussels, which is co-sponsoring the event, told POLITICO:
It’s really something out of a tinpot dictatorship. They’re trying to use a technical reason to make a political point. They told the owner that if it doesn’t get shut down they’re gonna cut the electricity.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, a Flemish liberal, also said:
What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable. Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.
About an hour after their appearance, the police returned at 12:45 p.m. to hand an official order to the local event organiser Anthony Gilland, the MCC’s chief of staff in Brussels. The police gave him 15 minutes to read and sign the three-page document. He said:
One of the reasons that we’ve been given, it’s not the only reason, is that there will be a counterprotest this afternoon around about 5 p.m. and the idea is that the police are not able to protect free speech at this event.
By 14:00, the confrontation had lasted almost three hours. Some participants left the venue, but most stayed to listen to the remaining participants.
The Claridge space was the third venue for the conference, as the first – Concert Noble – turned down participants under pressure from Brussels’ socialist mayor Philippe Closé, and the liberal mayor of Etterbeek forced the luxury Sofitel hotel to cancel the event at the second attempt.
Emir Kir, the mayor of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, where the Claridge Hotel is located, previously told POLITICO via email that he would “immediately take action to ban” the event.
At one point, the Belgian-Tunisian owner of the venue, 59-year-old Lassaad Ben Yaghlane, said a compromise had been reached with the local mayor and police to allow the event to go ahead.
Police said they would prevent new visitors from entering, but promised not to stop the conference by force or remove people already inside.
Orbán, who is due to address the conference on Wednesday, harshly criticised Brussels’ “left-liberal leadership” during a press conference at the European Parliament. He said:
The plan is that we come and occupy Brussels.
A spokesperson for the UK’s conservative prime minister, Rishi Sunak, also seized on the dispute, saying “these reports are extremely disturbing.” The spokesperson said:
The prime minister is a strong supporter and advocate for free speech. He is very clear that canceling events or no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and democracy. He is an advocate of free speech even when you may disagree.
Guests began flocking to the venue as early as Tuesday, queuing up for coffee, croissants and seats before the conference began. The conference venue was packed with blue and black suits, including academics, students and officials from around the world.
The organisers boasted of their victory over the woke leaders in Brussels, but their jubilation was short-lived. Around 11 a.m., shortly before Farage was scheduled to speak, rumours of a police presence spread through the hall.
Other scheduled conference attendees included Suella Braverman, former British Home Secretary, and Eric Zemmour running for president of France in 2022.
The NatCon conference is organised by the Edmund Burke Foundation, a right-wing think tank.
“I understand the police are very, very keen to close this down. If they’re going to close it down they can do it with me on stage,” Farage said in his final remarks. The audience cheered and hollered.
