Connect with us
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=12]

International

Brussels NatCon conference will continue freely after court overturns police barricade

Published

1 year ago

7 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Michael Haynes

Condemnation of Mayor Kir’s crackdown on NatCon was wide-ranging, and not merely from the dignitaries speaking at it. The British prime minister’s deputy spokesman called the scenes “extremely disturbing.”

Thanks to a successful challenge from pro-freedom legal organization ADF International, a Belgian court has struck down an order from the local authorities which saw an “international incident” created after police blockaded the National Conservatism conference in Brussels, Belgium yesterday. 

In an early morning announcement April 17, ADF International announced that a Belgian court “has struck down state censorship,” thus allowing the National Conservatism (or NatCon) conference to proceed undeterred into its second day today.

Via a press statement, ADF International wrote: 

In the decision, considered a victory for free speech, the court decided that ‘Article 26 of the Constitution [of Belgium] grants everyone the right to assemble peacefully,’ and although the mayor has the authority to make police ordinances in case of ‘serious disturbance of the public peace or other unforeseen events,’ in this case there was no sufficient threat of violence to justify this. 

The Court reasoned that ‘it does not seem possible to infer from the contested decision that a peace-disrupting effect is attributed to the congress itself.’ Rather, as the decision notes, ‘the threat to public order seems to be derived purely from the reactions that its organization might provoke among opponents.’

READ: Socialist Belgian mayor orders police to shut down event featuring Cardinal Müller, Orbán, Farage

The Brussels NatCon conference currently taking place was catapulted to the fore of international headlines on Tuesday, when local police moved to shut the event down, under orders of the local mayor. 

As LifeSiteNews reported, the Socialist mayor of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode municipality – Emir Kir – ordered the police to shut down the two-day conference to “guarantee public safety.”

Footage and images flooded social media around midday, showing lines of police barricading the conference venue, prohibiting anyone from entering. Those already inside were not allowed back in if they left. 

The conference is hardly a fringe event. High-profile guests and speakers include Vatican prelate Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orbán, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, former French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, former U.K. politician and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, and previous U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

The police clampdown was initiated as Braverman was arriving and Zemmour was refused entry by the police.

NatCon organizers also stated that the catering had been canceled, and participants only had limited access to water and food as the police were preventing the delivery of supplies. Those still effectively locked inside the conference venue by nightfall were able to partake of a gala dinner, and then left the building. 

Paul Coleman, ADF International’s executive director, shared an English translation of the police order on X yesterday afternoon. The mayor’s order cited the “ethically conservative” position espoused by speakers at NatCon, “e.g., hostility to legalized abortion, same-sex unions, etc.,” along with a “Eurosceptic” mindset among his reasons for deploying the police.

The conference, being held on premises operated by Claridge Events, had already been forced to find new venues on two occasions in the preceding days, as pressure was placed on them to cancel the conference due to its promotion of “conservative” talking points. 

The Claridge venue was the third home for the event. NatCon’s hastily found backup venue broke “its written contract” to host the event on Monday night, according to NatCon organizer Yoram Hazony, hours before the conference was scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. 

Welcoming the court ruling to allow NatCon to proceed unimpeded, Coleman stated:

While common sense and justice have prevailed, what happened yesterday is a dark mark on European democracy. No official should have the power to shut down free and peaceful assembly merely because he disagrees with what is being said. How can Brussels claim to be the heart of Europe if its officials only allow one side of the European conversation to be heard?

Coleman attested that Tuesday’s “kind of authoritarian censorship we have just witnessed belongs in the worst chapters of Europe’s history. Thankfully, the Court has acted swiftly to prevent the repression of our fundamental freedoms to both assembly and speech, thus protecting these essential characteristics of democracy for another day.”

Condemnation of Mayor Kir’s crackdown on NatCon was wide-ranging, and not merely from the dignitaries speaking at it. The British prime minister’s deputy spokesman called the scenes “extremely disturbing.”

“The Prime Minister is a strong supporter and advocate of free speech and believes it is fundamental to any democracy,” the spokesman added.

According to author and NatCon speaker Rod Dreher, Cardinal Müller went so far as to say the Belgian police action was “like Nazi Germany.” 

Belgium’s pro-EU Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also condemned the actions taken by local police, in a signal move made against the local mayor. Writing on X yesterday evening he stated that “[w]hat happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable. Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.”

Related Topics:

Todayville is a digital media and technology company. We profile unique stories and events in our community. Register and promote your community event for free.

Follow Author

More from this author
Business / 11 hours ago

The Digital Services Tax Q&A: “It was going to be complicated and messy”

International / 11 hours ago

Elon Musk forms America Party after split with Trump

Daily Caller / 20 hours ago

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Resets The Energy Policy Playing Field

International

Elon Musk forms America Party after split with Trump

Published on July 6, 2025

By

MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

Elon Musk announced Saturday he is forming the “America Party,” claiming it will challenge what he calls the “one-party system” in Washington. The move follows his public split with President Trump and appears aimed at targeting Republicans who supported the president’s domestic agenda.

Key Details:

  • Musk announced the America Party on X, declaring that Americans are living under a “one-party system” and need a new political alternative.
  • The launch followed his criticism of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
  • On Independence Day, Musk posted a poll asking if Americans wanted “independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system,” which he cited as support for forming the party.

Diving Deeper:

Elon Musk formally announced the launch of his new political outfit — the “America Party” — on Saturday, marking a new chapter in his increasingly public clash with Republican leadership.

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk wrote on his platform, X. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

The announcement comes as tensions between Musk and President Trump have escalated. While Musk previously worked closely with the administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, the relationship has deteriorated in the wake of Trump’s push for the One Big Beautiful Bill, a major domestic package that Musk now openly criticizes.

In a series of recent posts, Musk vowed to help primary Republican lawmakers who backed the bill. “They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,” he posted earlier this week.

He’s offered few specifics beyond that, other than suggesting the party will “laser-focus” on a handful of Senate and House races in 2026. So far, there’s been no indication of a formal party structure, candidate recruitment, or funding plan.

Critics were quick to compare Musk’s move to Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential bid, which many credit with splitting the conservative vote and aiding Bill Clinton’s election. “You are pulling a Ross Perot, and I don’t like it,” one user reportedly responded on X.

Meanwhile, Trump has reportedly explored options to retaliate. According to multiple reports, the president has discussed whether to revoke federal contracts connected to Musk’s companies and even floated questions about his citizenship. “We’ll have to take a look,” Trump told reporters when asked directly.

While it’s too early to tell whether the America Party will amount to more than a personal platform, the political message is clear: Musk is now openly working against Republicans he once aligned with, and doing so under his own banner.

Continue Reading

Disaster

Texas flood kills 43 including children at Christian camp

Published on July 6, 2025

By

MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

Flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas has left at least 43 people dead—including 15 children—after a wall of water tore through camps and neighborhoods along the Guadalupe River. Among the victims were young girls attending a Christian summer camp, as families grieve and recovery efforts intensify.

Key Details:

  • Officials confirmed Saturday that 43 people have died—28 adults and 15 children—following early Friday morning floods in Kerr County. Seventeen victims remain unidentified.
  • Four young girls who died—ages 8 and 9—were attending Camp Mystic, a nearly 100-year-old Christian summer camp for girls. Dozens of campers were briefly unaccounted for.
  • The camp’s director, Dick Eastland, was among the dead after reportedly racing to a cabin in an effort to save girls trapped in rising waters. Another local camp director also died.

Diving Deeper:

Texas is reeling from one of the deadliest flash floods in recent memory, with at least 43 confirmed dead—including 15 children—after floodwaters surged through Kerr County early Friday morning. Officials said 12 adults and five children have yet to be identified.

Much of the devastation centered around the historic Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls situated along the Guadalupe River, where dozens of campers were swept up in the flood. Family members have since confirmed that four of the victims—8-year-olds Renee Smajstrla and Sarah Marsh, and 9-year-olds Janie Hunt and Lila Bonner—had been attending the camp.

Renee’s uncle reportedly wrote on Facebook that she was “living her best life at Camp Mystic.” Sarah’s family shared that the Alabama girl was “a spunky ray of light,” while Lila’s relatives described their pain as “unimaginable.”

The camp’s longtime director, Dick Eastland, died heroically while trying to rescue girls from a cabin as waters rushed through the grounds. Another director, Jane Ragsdale of the nearby Heart O’ the Hills Camp, was also killed. Though her camp wasn’t in session, she was on the property when the flood struck.

Camp Mystic, which serves hundreds of girls each summer, was left in ruins. “The camp was completely destroyed,” said 13-year-old Elinor Lester, who was among those rescued. Photos show cabins torn open, trees ripped from the ground, and bunk beds submerged nearly to the top by river water.

As many as 27 girls at the camp were swept up by the flooding, but several have since been reunited with their families. Ashley Flack, whose daughter attended Mystic, said Saturday, “There are lots of families missing, children and friends… Our daughter is safe. Our son is safe. The operation to get the girl camp out did a good job.”

Rescue missions pulled at least 858 people to safety, and eight were reported injured. Officials noted that while other nearby camps were also impacted, those campers have been accounted for and are awaiting evacuation as crews work to repair damaged roads.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded a disaster declaration on Saturday to include 21 counties. More than 1,000 state personnel and 800 vehicles are assisting in rescue and recovery, while FEMA, the Texas National Guard, and Coast Guard aircraft have been deployed to aid in the search.

President Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday, saying: “Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”

Forecasters say more rain could fall over the next 48 hours, raising the risk of additional flooding across Central Texas. The Guadalupe River last saw similar tragedy in 1987, when 10 teenagers died after a church bus was swept away.

Continue Reading

Trending

X