Nigel Farage returned to a hard-right conference in Belgium on Wednesday after a top court intervened to scrap local bans widely denounced as an assault on free speech.
The former MEP was pictured back at the Claridge venue in Brussels for the second day of the National Conservatism Conference after receiving the go-ahead from Belgium's top administrative court overnight.
The court sided with Farage and fellow attendees Suella Braverman and Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, in ruling that attempts by local mayors to disperse or close down the events violated the country's constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Despite the shutdown order, the conference - whose attendees include right-wing figures and elected officials from across Europe - had limped on through Tuesday with police blocking new attendees from entering.
Nigel Farage penned a scathing tirade against cancel culture and blasted 'the Brussels elite' for ensuring 'no other views are allowed' in response to the attempts to shut down the conference in Belgium on Tuesday.
'Cancel culture is saying, "I do not want to hear your opinion". What happened today is an updated form of Soviet communism,' the former UKIP leader lamented in The Daily Telegraph after police and local officials mounted a closure order to shut down his keynote speech.
Nigel Farage arrives on the second day of the National Conservatism Conference, April 17
Members of the Belgian police inform the organisers of the decision not to let anyone into the event at the Claridge on April 16, 2024 in Brussels
Conservative MP Suella Braverman, former UK Secretary of State for the Home Department, gives a speech on Day one of The National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge on April 16
Emir Kir (pictured October 2018), the mayor of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode where the event was held, said he would 'immediately take measures to ban' it
France's firebrand former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour - who was among those barred from entering on Tuesday after concerted efforts by local mayors to block the event - was back on day two, and preparing to take the stage.
'Thanks to God, thanks to the pressure we exerted, thanks to the scandal in all of Europe, Europe has shown that it was still the continent of liberal democracy, and of the rule of law,' Zemmour told reporters on site.
READ MORE: Fury as police barricade entrance to right-wing conference in Brussels attended by Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman after local mayor issues a BAN and says 'far-right' are 'not welcome'
Advertisement Hungary's prime minister Orban was to deliver the keynote address on Wednesday before attending a summit of EU leaders, having vowed 'we will not give up'.
Emir Kir, the mayor of Brussels' Saint-Josse district, had invoked safety issues for the ban, but he also wrote that the far right - which is predicted to surge in EU-wide elections taking place in June - was 'not welcome'.
Kir said yesterday he would 'immediately take measures to ban' the event when it moved to the Claridge event space, provoking threats of a legal challenge from the organisers.
The dispute appeared settled by Wednesday, following the ruling from Belgium's top administrative court.
The Saint-Josse mayor said he took note of the court ruling, while defending his initial decision and vowing to remain 'vigilant' with regard to any threat to public safety.
Although a risk assessment body had advised him of a 'medium-level' threat to the event, the court said the mayor should have responded by reinforcing public security - not by cancelling a private event.
'The authorities should at least have tried to protect the people exercising their constitutional right to assembly,' said the court.
The event had been moved twice before finally going ahead at the Claridge space in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode but police said they would stop new arrivals from entering.
Emir Kir, the local mayor, said he would 'immediately take measures to ban' it, provoking threats of a legal challenge from the organisers.
The liberal mayor of Etterbeek, Vincent De Wolf, had previously urged the Sofitel hotel to stop the event going ahead at its second choice, the cancellation dubbed 'outrageous' by Mr Farage in his Telegraph comment piece.
He added that 'political pressure' had been placed on the first venue, the Concert Noble, to cancel.
Nigel Farage arrives on the second day of the National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge venue in Brussels, Belgium, April 17, 2024
Farage returns to speak at the National Conservatism conference in Brussels on Wednesday
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban takes to the stage on the second day of the National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge venue in Brussels, Belgium, April 17, 2024
Policemen secure the entrance of the Claridge venue prior to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's speech
Nigel Farage speaks to the media as he stands in front of police officers, on the day of the 'National Conservatism' conference
The handling of the event by local authorities drew fire from European politicians, condemning the perceived attack on freedom of expression.
Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo slammed the 'unconstitutional' attempt to shut down the event as 'unacceptable'.
Viktor Orbán said on Facebook: 'Brussels just moved up a gear. If anyone stands up for peace, they are simply banned.
'No question, on 9 June we have to say clearly: No War!' he added, referring to the European election date.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the reports of police action were 'extremely disturbing'.
A spokesman added that Sunak was a 'strong supporter and advocator of free speech' who believed 'cancelling events or preventing attendance and no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and democracy as a result'.
Writing in The Telegraph yesterday, Mr Farage said: 'I can see a growing number are beginning to understand what this globalist project of ever closer union represents.'
'It is not just undemocratic but anti-democratic in its very nature,' the ex-MEP rounded off, calling the clash possibly 'my most productive day ever in Brussels'.
Police were seen setting up a barricade outside the Claridge venue yesterday after pledging to prevent any further traffic from entering.
Guests set to speak at the event later on Tuesday were among those turned away by authorities.
Suella Braverman told the BBC she was not thrown out and was able to speak on Tuesday.
Organisers said they plan to continue with the conference today, writing 'See you again tomorrow!' on X.
The future of the conference had been thrown into jeopardy following an order issued by Emir Kir, the mayor of Brussels district Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.
He said he was banning the event from taking place in the Belgian capital 'to guarantee public safety'.
'In Etterbeek, in Brussels City and in Saint-Josse, the far-right is not welcome,' Mr Kir added.
Kir was himself thrown out of the socialist part in Brussels in 2020 after meeting with politicians from Turkey's far-right.
Anti-fascist militants demonstrate outside the venue where the 'NatCon' national conservatism conference gathering hard-right politicians was held on April 16, 2024
Brussels police shut down the far-right political gathering and take security measures around the venue in Brussels, Belgium on April 16, 2024
Police barricaded the entrance to the right-wing 'National Conservatism' conference as a local mayor tried to shut down the event attended by Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman
Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage was on stage as police were seen inside the 'Claridge' venue following the local mayor's closure order
Belgium's PM Alexander De Croo slammed the 'unconstitutional' attempt to shut down the event
Nigel Farage speaks to Good Morning Britain about the clash with authorities in Brussels
Police were seen inside the 'Claridge' venue around midday on Tuesday, as Mr Farage took to the stage to deliver a speech.
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.
Advertisement Event organisers later claimed that police were 'not letting anyone in' and posted a video on social media of a police barricade outside the venue.
The administrative order they were carrying, seen by the Mail, cited 'provocative and discriminatory' views held by 'traditionalists' that are 'deemed homophobic, non-respectful of people and minorities'.
Rising Tory star Miriam Cates MP, co-chairman of the New Conservatives group, was forced to smuggle herself in via a side entrance wearing a headscarf so she could give her speech on the dangers that social media poses to young children.
Mrs Braverman used her address to urge Rishi Sunak to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. She said: 'I wish the UK would do so now. Not only is it the right and necessary thing to do, it is also the politically expedient thing to do.'
It was unclear last night whether the conference's final day today will still be able to go ahead.
Saurabh Sharma, executive director of National Conservatism, posted on X: 'Brussels police are holding NatCon Brussels 2 hostage.
'They know that it would be a circus to frog-march us out of here—so they just won't let people come in. The conference will continue—either here or elsewhere.'
Eric Zemmour, the controversial former French presidential candidate, was said to have been denied entry with his keynote address postponed 'possibly indefinitely'.
In his own address to the conference, Mr Farage lashed out at the 'monstrous' efforts to shut down the gathering on its first morning, saying: 'We are up against a new form of communism.'
Mrs Braverman attacked the 'thought police' who were trying to close the event. And Downing Street this afternoon described the Belgian police action as 'extremely disturbing'.
Mr de Croo posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to denounce the actions of the local mayor.
He wrote: 'What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable.
'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.'
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'
Event organisers 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?'
They 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.'
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
As well as Mr Farage, speakers at the two-day event included ex-home secretary Suella Braverman and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, who is scheduled to appear tomorrow
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.
Mrs Braverman, who addressed the conference after Mr Farage despite the confusion sparked by the mayor's closure order, hit out at local officials she described as 'thought police'.
She told Sky News: 'I'm here with like-minded democrats, democratically elected politicians, leaders and experts in their fields.
'And we are here talking about the issues that matter to the British people but also many citizens around Europe.
'Securing our borders, making our communities safer and how to protect our countries.
'It's a real shame that the thought police instructed by the mayor of Brussels has saw fit to try and undermine and denigrate what is free speech and free debate.'
She added: 'Could this happen in the UK? I generally think we have a culture of freedom of speech, we value debate and the free flow of ideas.
'It's a cherished foundation of our democracy and long may it continue.'
Mrs Braverman had used her speech to repeat her call for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
She attacked the ECHR as incompatible with parliamentary democracy and the Strasbourg-based court charged with enforcing it as 'profoundly undemocratic and politicised'.
Speaking as he left the venue after finishing his own conference address this afternoon, 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.
Downing Street described the Belgian police action to shut down the National Conservatism conference as 'extremely disturbing'.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: 'Clearly, these reports are extremely disturbing.
'The Prime Minister is a strong supporter and advocator for free speech and he believes that should be fundamental to any democracy.
'Speaking more broadly to the principle of such events, he is very clear that cancelling events or preventing attendance and no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and to democracy as a result.
'He is very clear that free debate and the exchange of views is vital, even where you disagree.'
The spokeswoman added she was not aware of any plans to raise the issue with the Belgian government.
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 Ms Cates on Tuesday while Mr Orban was scheduled to speak tomorrow.
Mr 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.