Brussels, the home of the European Union Parliament, is trying to shut down Nigel Farage’s National Conservatism conference. As I write this the police are blockading the event on the orders of the Mayor.
The reason? Wrongthink.
No, I am not joking. Here is a key part of the Mayor’s order to shut down the conference:
This conference isn’t some group of Nazis agitating for revolution; it is filled with current and former members of the European Parliament, politicians, intellectuals, and ordinary people sitting down quietly as they discuss the future of Europe.
But according to the mayor, they are “ethically conservative” and should, therefore, be shut down from speaking. Somebody might get offended, or worse: they might agree! We can’t have that!
The police in Brussels just shut down the National Conservative Conference – @NatConTalk.
Undoubtedly by order of the tyrannical Eurocrats just a few blocks away.
“Liberal democracy”, anyone? https://t.co/i3vYMPhyI7
— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) April 16, 2024
On Tuesday police officers in the Belgian capital attempted to shut down the National Conservatism conference while Nigel Farage was on stage.
Officers entered the venue to serve a court order demanding the event cease on the grounds it endangered public safety.
The police document, seen by The Telegraph, suggested speeches by speakers including Mr Farage and Mrs Braverman could lead to public disorder or display racist and homophobic views.
Farage was a member of the European Parliament himself, and Suella Braverman was a member of the UK Parliament, the former home secretary, and likely future leader of the Tory Party.
They must be shut up!
Reading a translation of the Brussels district mayor’s order to ban NatCon, the language is amazing. He says he’s doing this in part to protect us from ourselves. More reasons why he’s banning us below — because some of us are prolife, pro traditional marriage, euroskeptic pic.twitter.com/9lO0RqLNea
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) April 16, 2024
AS of this writing the conference is still proceeding–violating the Mayor’s order–but the venue is blockaded from the outside. Nobody can enter, and if you leave, you may not return. Members of the EU Parliament–which is just down the street–are being prevented from attending.
Brussels police are now blocking lawyers for the Edmund Burke Foundation from entering the premises where @NatConTalk is being held. Also blocking Members of the European Parliament from entering. pic.twitter.com/2tfUm8xSnU
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) April 16, 2024
Police agreed to let the conference continue while the event organisers mounted a court challenge against the order but have prevented anyone from entering the venue.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, conference organisers claimed food and water was being blocked.
They said: “The police are not letting anyone in. People can leave, but they cannot return. Delegates have limited access to food and water, which are being prevented from delivery.”
Mr Farage said there was “no public order threat” at the conference. He said the attempt to shut it down was “monstrous” and it further convinced him that leaving the European Union was the right move for the UK.
This is what “defending democracy” looks like in the 21st century. It means, literally, sending the police or the FBI to harass or even shut down people in order to ensure that only the “right” opinions can be expressed.
To give you an idea of what the right opinions are, note that the same Mayor who shut down this conference sponsored the mayor of Tehran on a visit to Brussels. Islamists are welcome, but conservatives are not.
The police blockade of the event followed a campaign to prevent the conference from meeting at all. This was the third venue that agreed to host the event, but the first two canceled under pressure from the Mayor and activist groups.
Nigel Farage is secretly gleeful because, well, his opponents are making his point for him. If there ever was any doubt that the West is drifting toward totalitarianism, that doubt has been put to rest.
Nigel Farage has never looked more satisfied. Europe’s hard right was handed a gift today when the police tried to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels. Farage was speaking as the police arrived to deliver a public order notice which said they had 15 minutes to shut down the conference.
The order came from the local Socialist Party mayor Emir Kir who tweeted that the “far-right is not welcome” and explained that he banned the conference to ensure “public safety”. The police said one reason for the order were reports that counter-protesters were planning on attending the venue. There was no public disorder within the venue itself. Organisers have said that they are challenging the order in the courts.
Nonetheless, a small group of police entered the building after being invited in by organisers who wanted to take them through to the green room. But the officers decided to leave after walking through the venue’s lobby. One police officer said he did not want to cause a scene – perhaps sensing that it was best to avoid the image of them entering a peaceful political gathering.
Of course, proving your case hardly means that the battle is won. No doubt liberals will defend the mayor’s actions as a necessary tactic to shut down the Nazi brownshirt free speech activists who still believe in human freedom. Nazis are like that, so punch a Nazi or something.
The event is being held on the same road as the European Commission’s competition authority. The symbolism is undeniable. The actions of the police and the mayor will lead to far greater coverage of the conference than it would otherwise have received. It is also a testament to the conference’s argument that even at the heart of Europe free speech is under threat – a point the attendees are poised to make.
This is where we are. Western governments are squelching dissent. Our publications, including this one, are punished for wrongthink. We get demonetized for speaking the truth. Constant legal threats beset presidential candidates.
It is all of a piece.
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