Fury as police barricade entrance to right

Police today barricaded the entrance to a right-wing political conference as a local mayor tried to shut down the event attended by Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman.

The two-day 'National Conservatism' gathering in Brussels descended into chaos as authorities attempted to enforce a ban.

As well as Mr Farage, the ex-UKIP leader, and Mrs Braverman, the former home secretary, other keynote speakers were due to include Hungarian PM Viktor Orban.

But the future of the conference was 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.

Police were seen inside the 'Claridge' venue around midday - as Mr Farage took to the stage to deliver a speech - and officers 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.

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.

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'.

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

Eric Zemmour, the controversial former French presidential candidate, was said to have been denied entry with his keynote address postponed 'possibly indefinitely'

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 

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'

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 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.