Brussels police shut down right-wing event to be attended by Hungary’s Orban, UK’s Braverman

The police and authorities in Brussels sparked a political firestorm, on Tuesday (Apr 16) after the officials in the Belgian capital city ordered the shutdown of a controversial gathering of hard-right European politicians which was also to be attended by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

What happened at the event?

The gathering of the hard-right nationalist European politicians called the National Conservatism (NatCon) Conference descended into chaos after the Brussels police tried to shut it down over safety concerns.

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The controversial event was also to hear from UK politician Nigel Farage, French right-wing candidate Eric Zemmour and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki over the next two days, but as per Politico was shut down by the police just two hours after it began at the Claridge venue.

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However, the police said that they would only stop new arrivals from entering the venue, but not stop the conference or remove people already inside.

The police arrived at the venue when Farage was addressing the crowd, and as the drama unfolded outside, he continued his speech saying that the decision to cancel the conference was “absolutely outrageous”.

One of the police officers who arrived at the venue of the event that was being held in the capital’s Saint-Josse Ten Noode region told the organisers that the mayor had decided to shut it down and that he had a three-page document outlining the grounds for the closure.

“The authorities decided to shut the event due to possibility of public disorder,” a police officer heard by Politico told one of the organisers.

The law enforcement personnel were ordered by Emir Kir, the mayor of the Saint-Josse Ten Noode, who later took to X and confirmed media reports that he ordered a halt to the event to “guarantee public safety.” He added, “The far right is not welcome.”

According to media reports, NatCon had a hard time securing a venue and had been rejected by two other Brussels venues before they managed to secure Claridge venue. The organisers reportedly said that some 600 attendees were expected to attend the conference.

‘Unacceptable’

The move to halt the event garnered criticism from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo who took to X and called it “unacceptable”.

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“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,” said De Croo.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson called reports of police action at NatCon “extremely disturbing,” adding that he is a “strong supporter and advocator for free speech”.

Sunak was “very clear that cancelling events or preventing attendance and no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and to democracy as a result,” said his spokesperson.

(With inputs from agencies)