Police Block Conservative Conference Attended by Nigel Farage, Viktor Orban in Brussels

‘We are up against an evil ideology. We are up against a new form of communism,’ Mr. Farage said.

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

Brussels police on April 16 blocked a conservative conference that featured senior figures from the political right in Europe, after the city’s mayor labeled the event as “far-right” and ordered that it be shut down.

Emir Kir, mayor of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district in Brussels, said in a statement posted on social media platform X that he had issued an order to ban the National Conservatism Conference, held at the Claridge hotel, “to guarantee public safety.”