{"id":2225115,"date":"2024-04-19T11:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T15:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-was-there-heres-what-happened-when-they-tried-to-silence-conservatives-in-brussels\/"},"modified":"2024-04-19T11:08:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T15:08:05","slug":"i-was-there-heres-what-happened-when-they-tried-to-silence-conservatives-in-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-was-there-heres-what-happened-when-they-tried-to-silence-conservatives-in-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"I Witnessed It All: The Attempt to Silence Conservatives in Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fi-was-there-heres-what-happened-when-they-tried-to-silence-conservatives-in-brussels%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2225115&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A \u2062Brussels mayor attempted to shut down a conservative gathering, sparking \u2064widespread backlash. The emergency court order reinstated the conference, highlighting a threat \u2063to free speech. This authoritarian move \u200ddrew international attention\u200c and condemnation, showcasing the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-kaine-hates-your-freedom\/\" title=\"Tim Kaine is not a fan of your freedom\">upholding\u200c fundamental freedoms<\/a> in democratic\u200b societies. In Brussels, a mayor&#8217;s bid to\u2063 close a conservative \u200dmeeting caused uproar.\u200c A court order restored the event, emphasizing the danger to free speech. \u2062This authoritarian action gained global notice, underscoring the need to protect essential freedoms in thriving democracies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By now, the world has heard the news. A municipal mayor in Brussels attempted to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/brussels-police-try-to-shut-down-conference-featuring-orban-farage-other-leading-european-conservatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">shut down<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  a peaceful gathering of conservative leaders simply because he disagreed with their message.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The resultant outcry was enormous \u2014 the very essence of free speech was at stake \u2014 culminating in a rapidly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/free-speech-prevails-for-nat-con__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!3e4hdrEyPrjSHR-Ny5IdDKSUOAzVbsFf8AQLtUj4NZNA0XwbYhe-5Frtk0Fcg7v09huGJ1hewD_pUvi8-BjlFaw%24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">executed emergency court order<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  allowing the conference to resume, but not before the police had stepped in, relegating the first day of the event to abject chaos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was honored to lead the legal challenge against this authoritarian overstep, and in so doing, play a key part in this watershed moment for fundamental freedoms. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was business as usual as I prepared to attend the National Conservatism Conference in Brussels from April 16-17. Known as \u201cNatCon,\u201d the event presented nothing out of the ordinary in a city that regularly ebbs and flows with gatherings across the political spectrum. As the center of the European Union, discussion, dialogue, and even peaceable demonstrations across the ideological spectrum are core to the Brussels ethos.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_726077\" style=\"width: 874px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-726077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SIMON WOHLFAHRT\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But cancel culture was quick to bare its teeth. The event, a mainstream gathering of conservatives representing diverse views, had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/16\/world\/europe\/brussels-conversative-conference-emir-kir.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">already been canceled<\/a> by two venues, before securing a third near Brussels\u2019 European Quarter. It was at this point that the mayor of this district decided to step in, issuing an egregiously discriminatory order to shutter the conference due to a supposed threat to \u201cpublic peace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/debunking-the-aclus-ridiculous-myths-and-facts-about-transgender-athletes\/\" title=\"Debunking The ACLU\u2019s Ridiculous \u2018Myths And Facts\u2019 About Transgender Athletes\">order made<\/a> two facts indisputably clear: 1) There was no evidence whatsoever of a threat of violence. And 2) It was nothing more than the vision behind National Conservatism that motivated the shutdown. In essence, from the mayor\u2019s perspective: I don\u2019t like these people. I shall not allow them to meet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As stated in the mayor\u2019s order: <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That this vision is not only ethically conservative (e.g. hostility to the legalization of abortion, same-sex unions, etc.) but also focused on the defense of \u2018national sovereignty,\u2019 which implies, among other things, a \u2018Eurosceptic\u2019 attitude.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To be clear, pro-life views are not a crime. Neither is, of course, the \u201cdefense of national sovereignty.\u201d This was a dictatorial and discriminatory abuse of power, pure and simple. And when I arrived at the conference on the morning of April 16, the effects of this abuse were evident. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/\/twitter.com\/Paul_B_Coleman\/status\/1780242908156662188\/photo\/1__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!3e4hdrEyPrjSHR-Ny5IdDKSUOAzVbsFf8AQLtUj4NZNA0XwbYhe-5Frtk0Fcg7v09huGJ1hewD_pUvi8PBGYQFk%24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pictures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  of a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">line of police in riot gear flooded X \u2014 the world was on notice that something insidious was afoot in Brussels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police surrounded the door, preventing participants from entering. It was only my direct line with the organizers that got me in. Never mind that expected to attend were multiple high-level participants including former U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Cardinal M\u00fcller from Germany. The diplomatic ramifications of this fiasco cannot be overstated, prompting reactions from both the U.K. and Belgian Prime Ministers, and massive international outcry.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_726079\" style=\"width: 874px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-726079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Omar Havana\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The freedoms of speech and assembly are essential for the functioning of any democratic society. In fact, without them, there cannot be said to be democracy. And yet, here we were, confronted by a line of police for exercising our right to peacefully gather and discuss the issues of our day. This kind of authoritarianism has no place in contemporary Europe \u2014 a disgrace to our continent and the values the EU espouses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a lawyer for ADF International, an organization dedicated to the promotion of fundamental freedoms, I found myself in the right place at the right time to rise to the defense of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rand-paul-challenges-biden-transgender-sports-policy\/\" title=\"Sen. Rand Paul challenges Biden transgender sports policy\">basic human rights<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We lead the charge alongside the NatCon organizers in mounting a legal challenge, which was decided in our favor by the Conseil d\u2019\u00c9tat, Belgium\u2019s highest administrative court, at 2:30 a.m.on April 17. The fact that the court had convened and decided overnight was a testament to the outrageous nature of what had transpired. The judgment was clear \u2014 the conference would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-68826578\">allowed to continue<\/a> into its second day without police interference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fueled by espresso and croissants, day two of the conference proceeded with a markedly electric energy. Conference attendees previously barred from entry took on the talks and conversations with a newfound gusto, having just come face to face with the frightening reality of what it means to be a \u201cconservative\u201d in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While among us at the conference there would surely be disagreement and differences of opinion on a great many issues, we found ourselves enjoying a unique moment of solidarity \u2014 united in our shared commitment to protecting our basic human right to speak freely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What happened this week depicts the state of free speech in Europe in a very poor light. This is the sad reality of European censorship. However, we remain optimistic that it also will serve as an important wake-up call, reminding us of the crucial importance of diligently defending our fundamental freedoms under the law, lest they slip away from us as they have done before in the darker moments of our continent\u2019s history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>* * *<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jean-Paul Van De Walle is legal counsel, Europe, for ADF International in Brussels, and led the legal efforts that successfully challenged the shut-down of the National Conservatism Conference.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The global community is abuzz with news of a Brussels mayor&#8217;s bid to halt a conservative assembly. The move sparked a massive backlash as it threatened free speech. An emergency court order swiftly intervened, upholding the right to assemble peacefully<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3080,"featured_media":2225116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-2148828518.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2225115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-2148828518.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3080"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2225115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2225116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2225115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2225115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2225115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}