Viktor Orban expected

Authorities take action against right-wing nationalist conference

Belgian police prevented people from entering a right-wing nationalist conference for hours. Speakers and politicians also had to stay outside at first.

(Bild: AP)

Police in Brussels prevented people from entering a conference of right-wing populists and nationalists for hours on Tuesday. Speakers also had to remain outside for the time being. The reason given for the action was security concerns.

The organizers had already moved the venue twice before because the authorities had announced resistance. Despite the blockade, the event finally went ahead on Tuesday with speeches and panel discussions - even though the head of the Saint-Josse district had also ordered the event to be banned. The mayor of the district was concerned that racist or homophobic remarks could be made. In Brussels, "the extreme right is not welcome", he said.

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Orban expected on Wednesday
On Tuesday, the head of the British Brexit party, Nigel Farage, and the French far-right politician Éric Zemmour, among others, had planned to attend. Speakers were also temporarily denied entry. It was initially unclear whether the event planned for two days would continue on Wednesday. Former German President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maaßen and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban were expected to attend on that day.

Belgian head of government: "Unacceptable"
His Fidesz party was also represented. Orban described the incident as a "disgrace" for the European Union. "The last time the communists tried to silence me was in 1988, when they sicced the police on me. We didn't give up then and we won't give up now," he wrote on the X platform.

You can see Orban's tweet here.

Belgium's head of government Alexander De Croo also called the police blockade "unacceptable." The constitution guarantees freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, he said, and this cannot override municipal autonomy.