Gathering of right-wing politicians in Brussels descends into chaos as police and local mayor attempt to shut down conference with Nigel Farage lashing out at ‘monstrous’ efforts to silence speakers and warns: ‘We are up against a new form of communism’

Nigel Farage today lashed out at ‘monstrous’ efforts to shut down a gathering of right-wing politicians in Brussels and warned: ‘We are up against a new form of communism.’

The ex-UKIP leader hit out as police and a local mayor in the Belgian capital attempted to cancel a ‘National Conservatism’ conference.

As well as Mr Farage, speakers at the two-day event were also set to include ex-home secretary Suella Braverman and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban.

But the event was thrown into chaos as local officials frantically worked to close it down.

Emir Kir, the mayor of Brussels district Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, said he had issued an order banning the National Conservatism conference from taking place ‘to guarantee public safety’.

‘In Etterbeek, in Brussels City and in Saint-Josse, the far-right is not welcome,’ he added.

Police were seen inside the ‘Claridge’ event venue around midday as they held talks with conference organisers.

It was reported that attendees had been given 15 minutes to leave the venue. But officers did not appear to force the event to shut down and speeches continued.

Those behind the event said they were launching a legal challenge to Mr Kir’s order, adding: ‘There is no public disturbance and no grounds to shut down a gathering of politicians, intellectuals, journalists, students, civic leaders, and concerned citizens.

‘The police entered the venue on our invitation, saw the proceedings and the press corps, and quickly withdrew.

‘Is it possible they witnessed how peaceful the event is?’

Event organisers later claimed that police were ‘not letting anyone in’, adding on X/Twitter: ‘People can leave, but they cannot return. Delegates have limited access to food and water, which are being prevented from delivery.’

Nigel Farage lashed out at ‘monstrous’ efforts to shut down a gathering of right-wing politicians in Brussels and warned: ‘We are up against a new form of communism’

Tony Gilland, from the MCC Brussels think tank, who organised the National Conservatism conference, was pictured speaking to police officers

Police officers secured the area outside the venue where the conference was taking place

Police arrived at the event venue but officers did not appear to force the event to shut down and speeches continued

Officers stood guard outside the ‘Claridge’ venue in the Belgian capital as the event continued amid the chaos

Those behind the event said they were launching a legal challenge to the order by Emir Kir, the mayor of Brussels district Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

Event organisers later claimed that police were ‘not letting anyone in’, adding on X/Twitter: ‘People can leave, but they cannot return’

As he begun his conference address amid the chaos, Mr Farage said the ongoing events reminded him why Britain was ‘right to leave’ the Brussels-based EU.

Speaking on his first official trip back to the Belgian capital since Britain left the bloc, Mr Farage said: ‘What has happened over the course of the last 48 hours is simply monstrous.’

He detailed how two venues had already pulled out of hosting the ‘National Conservatism’ conference prior to a third venue being found last night.

‘What you may or may not know in the audience now is that this venue, which accepted this booking last night – and we give huge thanks to the Tunisian owner of this business for his courage and for allowing free speech to take place,’ Mr Farage said.

‘What is happening as we speak is he is receiving phone calls from the local mayor, the police are being encouraged to come in and shut down this conference.’

He added: ‘This is what we are up against, we are up against an evil ideology, we are up against a new form of communism – this is nothing less than that.

‘And if anything ever said to me that Brexit was the right thing to do.

‘That leaving this place, regaining our national sovereignty – even if we could have carried it out better – that recognising that you cannot be an independent, democratic, self-governing nation state and a member of this monstrous union with its ideology behind it.

‘Today has told me, I shall never forget it, we were right to leave, no question.’

Mr Farage lashed out at police and a local mayor for attempting to cancel the right-wing political gathering

As he begun his conference address, Mr Farage said the events of the past hours had reminded him why Britain was ‘right to leave’ the Brussels-based European Union

Speakers at the two-day event were also set to include ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, before the conference descended into chaos

Police for the Brussels district of Saint-Josse, where the venue is located, confirmed to the AFP news agency that they had been tasked by the local mayor with notifying organisers of a ban.

‘We are taking all necessary operational measures to prevent a public disturbance,’ police spokeswoman Audrey Dereymaeker said.

Speaking as he left the venue after finishing his conference address, Mr Farage told reporters: ‘What’s happened here… where there is global media, we can see that legally-held opinions from people who are going to win national elections is no longer acceptable here in Brussels, the home of globalism.

‘Because if you don’t agree with ever-closer union, you must be a bad thing.’

The eurosceptic politician, who is honorary president of Reform UK, also told GB News: ‘This is cancel culture in a very, very big way.

‘Often cancel culture kicks in when somebody pushes the boundaries of what might be seen to be legitimate debate.’

John O’Brien, head of communications at MCC think tank, one of the joint organisers of the event, decried the closure order as ‘Orwellian’.

He said the apparent justification was over public safety concerns, with anti-fascist demonstrators planning to protest at the venue later in the day.

The Belgian League of Human Rights is among the groups opposing the event.

‘Freedom of speech may indeed apply to everyone, within the limits of the law, but that does not mean we have to open our home to the far-right,’ it said in a statement last week.

As well as Mrs Braverman, the conference had also been due to hear from fellow Conservative MP Miriam Cates on Tuesday while Mr Orban was scheduled to speak tomorrow. 

PM Rishi Sunak had faced pressure to block Mrs Braverman’s attendance at the conference.

Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth urging Mr Sunak to stop the former home secretary ‘giving oxygen to these divisive and dangerous individuals’.

Under Boris Johnson’s government in 2020, Conservative backbencher Daniel Kawczynski was reprimanded for attending a National Conservatism conference in Rome.

At the time, a Tory spokesman condemned the views of some other speakers, including Mr Orban.

Both Mrs Braverman and Ms Cates addressed the National Conservatism conference in London last year, which was disrupted by protesters.