There are chaotic scenes in Brussels as police officers attempt to shut down the National Conservatism conference as Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman speak at the event. The Telegraph has more.
They arrived to issue a notice to close the National Conservatism summit after a municipal mayor ordered the event be shut down on security grounds.
Emir Kir, the Mayor of Saint Josse, said: “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.”
The notice served by the police said the event posed a danger to pedestrians outside the venue, a conference source said. …
Nigel Farage described the attempt to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels as “monstrous”.
He said it had further convinced him that the U.K. leaving the European Union “was the right thing to do”.
Speaking to broadcasters, Mr. Farage said: “We have got the Prime Minister of a country coming, we have got a Roman Catholic bishop coming, we have got representatives of parties at the top of the polls all around Europe in elections.
“This is the sort of complete old communist-style thing. You don’t agree with me, you have got to be banned, you are mad, and to be shut down. It is monstrous.
“I’ll tell you what, it has done me a favour because at times I think oh, I wish the Government had done Brexit a bit better than they have and why haven’t they tightened the borders up.
“But if anything has convinced me that leaving the European Union ideology was the right thing to do it is the events of today.” …
The National Conservatism conference was already forced to relocate over the weekend after claims of “political pressure” from the Mayor of Brussels.
It was due to be held at the Concert Noble in the city before it was moved to the Sofitel Brussels Europe hotel.
Yoram Hazony, the conference Chairman, said his team had been told by the venue that it had to pull the event amid “political pressure” from Philippe Close, the Socialist Party Mayor of Brussels.
Pressure had been growing on Concert Noble to cancel the conference, including from the Belgian League of Human Rights and the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination, according to local reports.
Evidence, if any were needed, that many on the Left have no interest in free speech or freedom of assembly for anyone who disagrees with them on anything of consequence.
Worth reading in full.
According to the Guardian, the conference has continued after police left without enforcing its closure: “The police have not been able to shut down the NatCon event in Brussels where Nigel Farage was speaking – because they don’t have the authority to do so.”
The Telegraph reports that: “While the event organisers mount a court challenge against the order, the police agreed to let the conference continue but have prevented anyone from entering the venue.”
Nigel Farage has written a piece for the Telegraph: “These nasty people have done the cause of freedom – and Brexit – an enormous favour.”
Stop Press: Laurie Wastell has written a piece about this afternoon’s event from NatCon for the Spectator.
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