Fascism is alive and well in Belgium, as the mayor of Brussels has opted to suppress an assembly of conservative academics, politicians, and commentators.
The National Conservatism Conference started on Tuesday with a who’s who roster of prominent conservatives from all over Europe. British politicians Suella Braverman and Nigel Farage, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, former French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, several members of the European Parliament, and commentators and academics such as Gladden Pappin and Rod Dreher were among the list of speakers.
The conference faced hurdles before it began. First, the conference was forced to find a new venue on two occasions in the week leading up to the event. Finally, after settling on a new venue the night before, the conference began Tuesday morning. But the notoriety of the speakers and the academic nature of the conference was too much for Emir Kir, the mayor of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, the region of Brussels where the conference is taking place, who ordered that the event be suppressed.
Shortly after the conference began, Kir sent a brigade of police officers to shut it down. According to video and reports from the conference, the police ultimately did not stop the conference’s events from taking place but barricaded the entrance to prevent attendees from entering. As such, Zemmour was among those blocked from entering, prompting the conference to postpone his address.
In a post on X, Kir said he issued the order to disperse the conference to “guarantee public safety” and that “the far-right is not welcome.”
For a nation and a city that prides itself as the heart and seat of the European Union, the authoritarian and fascist act of Kir is an astonishing admittance that in “liberal democracy,” there is no room for the ideas of conservatism or national sovereignty. Kir’s use of the police force to shut down a political gathering he disagrees with should serve as a stark reminder that the “liberalism” of the elite is liberating only for those who support it. For all others, it is a totalitarian prison.
To his credit, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo rebuked Kir and said the attempt to suppress the conference was unacceptable.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable,” he wrote on X. “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.”
Only time will tell if Kir and his fascist police will heed his words and allow the conference to continue. In the meantime, if De Croo is serious about his defense of free speech, he should do his part to ensure that Kir resigns his post, becomes a social pariah, and is never again allowed to hold public office. Otherwise, this brazen act of authoritarian fascism will only become more common.