The outspoken British politician Nigel Farage was speaking at the NatCon conference in Brussels on Tuesday when a large number of police officers, on the orders of the city’s mayor, stormed in and broke up the political event.
The list of speakers included a number of conservative figures, including former Interior Minister Suella Braverman and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The police gave the participants 15 minutes to leave, and no one was allowed to enter the room where the meeting was being held. The order came directly from the Turkish socialist mayor, Emir Kir, who claimed that political censorship was necessary to ensure public safety.
– I issued an order from the mayor to ban the National Conservatism Conference event to guarantee public safety.
– In Etterbeek, Brussels City and Saint-Josse, the far right is not welcome, he continued, according to The Independent.
“Questioning globalism”
The organizers deny any claims that disorderly conduct led to the dissolution of the conference, saying it was shut down for purely political reasons and that it is unacceptable to act in this way against a “gathering of politicians, intellectuals, journalists, students, civic leaders, and concerned citizens.”.
– At the meeting, over the next two days, you’ve got the prime minister of Hungary, you’ve got a bishop, you’ve got members of the European royal families coming, well-known international businessmen and women, politicians, leaders of parties that will win European elections in countries this year in June, Farage explained, saying that the repression was reminiscent of the old Soviet Union.
– And yet, because they are questioning ever-closer union, because they are questioning globalism, they are literally being shut down.
Failed political censorship
The venue for the conference has already been changed twice after the mayors of the Brussels region rejected the sites initially selected for the meeting. Despite Emir Kir’s efforts to stop the event, it went ahead on Wednesday.
Below are some video clips related to the events in Brussels:
The Mayor of Brussels has shut down a National Conservatism Conference in the city which Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman were due to speak at.
Sky's Political Correspondent @darrenmccaffrey has the latest.
Read more: https://t.co/xRYFwRKuex
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/0yV3POCA4r
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 16, 2024
What just happened in Brussels this afternoon was a disgrace. For the Mayor and police to shut down a peaceful political event makes me more convinced of Brexit than ever. pic.twitter.com/RTJbr0FkDj
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) April 16, 2024
Here is the police presence outside not letting anybody in and if we leave not letting anybody back in! Insane! pic.twitter.com/KSlw9umtl1
— Matt Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) April 16, 2024
Nigel Farage said police would "have to drag me off stage" after officers moved to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels.
When asked what happened, Mr Farage tells reporters: 'Ask the Marxist mayor.'https://t.co/paGwogKkuK pic.twitter.com/m3LGFqCGSt
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 16, 2024
On my way back to @NatConTalk to listen to Viktor Orbán. The conference goes ahead in a big victory for free speech! pic.twitter.com/FgBQ7EHZbX
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) April 17, 2024
