Court Overturns Ban on Conservative Conference in Brussels in Win for Free Speech Advocates

‘In allowing the National Conservatism Conference to continue, the Administrative Court has come down on the side of basic human rights.’
Court Overturns Ban on Conservative Conference in Brussels in Win for Free Speech Advocates
Belgian police seal off the entrance to the venue, not allowing anyone to enter on Day 1 of the National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge in Brussels, Belgium, on April 16, 2024. Omar Havana/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
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The top administrative court in Belgium issued an emergency late-night ruling in favor of a conservative conference, overturning a ban by a mayor who cited “public safety” concerns, but explicitly said the “far-right is not welcome,” with the court allowing the conference to resume on April 17 after it was blocked a day earlier by police.

The National Conservative (NatCon) conference, which featured prominent conservatives as guest speakers like British politician Nigel Farage and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was free to resume Wednesday after the Conseil d’État, the highest court in Belgium relating to issues of public administration, overturned the mayoral ban.

Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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