Published On: Tue, Apr 16th, 2024

Nigel Farage’s Brussels conference: Emergency legal challenge launched | Politics | News


A legal challenge has been launched after shocking scenes this morning saw Brussels police swoop in to shut down a Conservative conference in a shocking assault on the right to freedom of speech.

A pro-liberty group, the Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF) has filed a case against the Brussels authorities.

Top politicians including Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban were all present when the local mayor issued the police in to shut the event down.

The order by Mayor Emir Kir, seen by ADF International, cites the reason for shutting down the conference as including: “that [NatCon’s] vision is not only ethically conservative (e.g. hostility to the legalisation of abortion, same-sex unions, etc.) but also focused on the defence of “national sovereignty”, which implies, amongst other things, a “Eurosceptic” attitude…”,

It also states that some of the speakers should be no-platformed as they “are reputed to be traditionalists”.

Mayor Kir added the conference must be banned “to avoid foreseeable attacks on public order and peace”.

ADF will now legally challenge the order on the grounds that the local politician acted outside his competence to shut down free and peaceful dialogue.

The group also notes that Mayor Kir was himself removed from the Socialist Party of Belgium in 2020 for meeting with members of “far-right” political organisations that support the AKP government in Turkey, responsible for expelling Christian residents from the country.

Paul Coleman, British lawyer and executive director of ADF International, said: “Open dialogue is supposed to be at the core of European politics; yet here in the capital of the EU, a thoughtful exchange on policy has been shut down by unilateral decree.”

He added: “This is a watershed moment where the true censorship crisis in Europe is on full public display.

“The crushing of political opinions opposed by those in power is something that should be relegated to the darker chapters of European history.

“ADF International is supporting an emergency legal challenge against the mayor’s order to shut down the conference, arguing it is contrary to the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly – the pillars of truly democratic societies.”

Speaking at the conference, Mr Farage said the appalling scenes had made him “more convinced of Brexit than ever”.

He told the crowd: “I’ve heard the police are very eager to close us down, so they can close it down with me on stage”.

He described the call by the local politician as “monstrous” and slammed the “extreme intolerance” of the local authorities.

Mr Farage warned: “This is the updated, new form of communism”.



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