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Balázs Orbán, chairman of the board of trustees of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), wrote a letter to the Belgian Prime Minister, because he believes that attempts are being made to once again prevent their professional conference from taking place in Brussels.
The Hungarian Prime Minister’s political director said in a video posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday that disturbing news had again come from Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. “This time, hiding behind far-left, anti-fascist organizations, they are trying to undermine the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s professional conference. Its free, open, and inspiring discussions,” he emphasized.
He added that he finds this unacceptable, and as chairman of the board of trustees of the MCC, he is writing a letter to the Belgian Prime Minister. He would like to ask him to do his job and ensure freedom of speech in Belgium and Brussels, the capital of Europe. “While they preach that there are problems with democracy in Hungary, they are unable to guarantee even the most basic freedoms? How is this possible, Mr. Prime Minister? We await your answers,” Balázs Orbán declared.
They emphasized that the conference will go ahead, though at a different venue, stressing that they will not bow to “mobs masquerading as defenders of ‘kindness’ while using the tactics of authoritarianism to silence those they disagree with.”
Mr. Orbán published the letter on his X page on Thursday. He wrote to Bart De Wever that the tactics used against MCC Brussels are a reminder of the political coercion once experienced in Hungary under communism. He recalled that this was not an isolated incident: similar pressure was exerted during last year’s National Conservatism Conference (NatCon). In that case, the district mayor issued an administrative order to prohibit the conference, citing “public safety” – however, this decision was overturned by Belgium’s supreme administrative court.
An open letter to @Bart_DeWever expressing concern over the recent Antifa attack on yet another @MCC_Brussels event—following last year’s failed attempt to shut down @NatConTalk Brussels on #April16. Will Brussels’ free speech defenders speak up now? We must not give in to… pic.twitter.com/zhMXfhJkqt
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) May 14, 2025
“Former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo rightly condemned the attempted shutdown of that event and reaffirmed the importance of freedom of speech. yet recent developments suggest the situation in Brussels is deteriorating further,” reads the politician’s letter. He added that when the freedom to speak is made contingent upon ideological conformity, it ceases to be freedom in any meaningful sense
I urge you, Prime Minister, to take a firm and principled stand in defense of freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
These are not merely matters of public policy, but of democratic integrity and responsible leadership,” Mr. Orbán emphasized. He concluded his letter by saying that “freedom is our most precious possession – which is why we must not give in to bullying.”
Featured photo via Wikipedia/European Union