Police disruption to conservative conference in Belgium was ‘dark mark on European democracy’

A Christian group has criticised the actions of authorities in Belgium who brought a conservative conference attended by Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman to a halt. 

High profile delegates on the two-day Conference on National Conservatism also included Miriam Cates MP, German Cardinal Ludwig Müller, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. 

Brussels mayor Emir Kir had attempted to shut it down on the grounds that it endangered public safety. Police barricaded the venue and prevented people from entering after authorities demanded that or not it’s “cancelled”, citing “ethically conservative” beliefs on abortion, marriage and the EU. 

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo called it an “unacceptable” breach of the country’s structure.

The conference was in a position to go ahead after the Conseil d’État, the very best court in Belgium regarding problems with public administration, ruled in its favour. 

Christian group, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which supported the emergency late night legal challenge by organisers, said the conference should never have been cancelled. 

Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International and a speaker on the conference, called the court ruling a victory without spending a dime speech.

“In allowing the National Conservatism Conference to proceed, the Administrative Court has come down on the side of basic human rights,” he said.

“While common sense and justice have prevailed, what happened yesterday is a dark mark on European democracy. No official must have the facility to shut down free and peaceful assembly merely because he disagrees with what’s being said.

“How can Brussels claim to be the center of Europe if its officials only allow one side of the European conversation to be heard?

“The type of authoritarian censorship now we have just witnessed belongs within the worst chapters of Europe’s history.

“Thankfully, the court has acted swiftly to stop the repression of our fundamental freedoms to each assembly and speech, thus protecting these essential characteristics of democracy for an additional day.”