A scheduled conservative conference in Brussels, set to feature prominent figures like Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman, was forced to change venues after political pressures from local left-wing authorities, according to The Telegraph.
The National Conservatism (NatCon) event was originally planned to take place at the Concert Noble in Brussels. However, the conference chairman Yoram Hazony revealed that their team was informed of the need to cancel the event at the venue, citing pressure from Philippe Close, the Socialist Party mayor of Brussels.
As a result, the conference was forced to relocate to a venue outside the city, just days before the scheduled date.
Hazony expressed frustration, stating that the municipality exerted pressure on the venue to prevent the conservative conference from taking place.
According to Hazony, a representative for the venue confirmed they were under pressure from the mayor's office.
“He said it was political pressure, that they don’t want this event in their city. We received very clear, repeated statements by the venue that they were under pressure and they would not be able to comply with our basic needs. And for that reason, we had to call it off a few days before the event,” Hazony explained.
Left-wing groups, including the Belgian League of Human Rights and the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination, were reportedly among those pressuring the Concert Noble to cancel the event.
“I just think that it is incredible that Brussels aspires to be the capital of a vast alliance of democracies, and they can’t tolerate in their own city an event with people who are basically conservatives who are critical of their leftie regime,” Hazony commented.
According to the event’s organizers, the conference was intended to strengthen “the principles of national conservatism in Western and other democratic countries” leading up to the EU parliamentary elections.
