"To live in a Christian society, is an amazing thing, the best thing I can imagine for my children and grandchildren."Continue reading
After cancel culture came to Brussels and tried to shut down the National Conservatism conference, the world press was loud about the events, where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a keynote speech. Those who were trying to cancel the NatCon conference believe public life must be subjected to the policing of speech, reports Politico.
Prof. Frank Füredi, director of MCC Brussels, co-organizers of the event, wrote a detailed opinion piece on the experiences of the past days. “It is an absolute tragedy that cancel culture has been welcomed into Brussels: the very heart of the European Union,” he emphasized.
Photo via Hungary Today
News about threats and political pressure started to seep out towards the end of last week, when on Friday a story finally broke in a strong-worded article published by the Brussels Times, revealing that the Concert Noble conference hall, where the event was supposed to be held, cancelled the conference. Mr. Füredi, in an article for Politico, noted that “when he asked why the conference could not go ahead there, the director of the institution replied that he was scared for his staff, who felt intimidated by the news that left-wing AntiFa activists were going to attack the venue.” Then when the director of MCC Brussels suggested that police could protect the site, the hall’s director informed him that the mayor of Brussels had decided not to provide any police protection for the event. Furthermore, “he [the director of the Concert Noble conference hall] also indicated that as far as he was concerned, he [the mayor] didn’t want the NatCon conference to take place.”
However, unfortunately, the Brussels mayor wasn’t the only city official taking the view that those invited to speak at NatCon shouldn’t be heard.”
The next day, an alternative venue was found; however, as conference organizers were setting up the stage, hotel management informed them that the meeting could not go ahead. “I was warned by the press about the nature of the event and the people who were coming. I informed the local police authorities…” Mayor Vincent De Wolf said. “In other words, the mayor shamelessly boasted that a meeting attended by elected MEPs, prime ministers, and leading officials who held ‘the wrong views’ could be casually cancelled,” Füredi pointed out.
The third venue was not a success either, as the third mayor also issued an order to shut down the conference. “The police were sent to the venue armed with a court order, threatening everyone in attendance with dire consequences,” noted Mr. Füredi.
Executive Director of MCC Brussels @Furedibyte on the attempts to cancel NatCon. “I am delighted that we got this done”. pic.twitter.com/e1QzbTvyGA
— MCC Brussels (@MCC_Brussels) April 16, 2024
Finally, the owner of the fourth venue, the Claridge Event Hall, took free speech seriously and told the mayor, despite all the threats, that the conference would go ahead. After the cancellations, it became clear that the political establishments of Brussels stand behind the mayors’ decisions. As Mr. Füredi put it: “My experience shows that Brussels has become a tolerance-free zone, with local politicians…behaving like tin-pot dictators despite the fact that the Belgian constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly. (…) Regardless of cancel culture growing ubiquity, it’s unimaginable that this campaign of official vilification directed at the NatCon movement could have occurred in any other West European capital.”
One fact has been made certain in recent days, as public opinion has confirmed that “the Brussels Bubble has become illiberal and intolerant.”
Prof. Füredi concluded his Politico article with a particularly thought-provoking reflection, saying that “the campaign to cancel NatCon wasn’t simply directed against this organization but against the foundational values of democracy. Those behind the campaign believe public life must be subjected to the policing of speech. That’s bad news for all of us, regardless of ideological affiliation.”
These past days, Brussels has tried to shut down debate.
But they failed.
We’re launching a free speech declaration to make sure this can’t happen again.
Join us tomorrow for an event to launch a new campaign. https://t.co/pq5Llh7LJC pic.twitter.com/kjrnuXqOpM
— MCC Brussels (@MCC_Brussels) April 17, 2024
During the event, the Hungarian Prime Minister also addressed the incident when Brussels officials tried to shut down the conference.
Via Politico; Featured image via Hungary Today