A battle over freedom of speech has been raging in Belgium after speakers and guests were denied access to a major conservative conference because government authorities deemed it to be hostile to their agenda of “abortion, same-sex unions, and the European Union.” But now there’s been an equally surprising turnaround, and the event in Brussels is being allowed to resume with its schedule.
The conference on National Conservativism or “NatCon” was scheduled for April 16-17th. This was the third venue where organizers tried to hold the conference. The first venue canceled it after coming under pressure from authorities. The same thing happened with the second venue.
A third site was given the ok for the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode district in Brussels, and the event was well underway when Mayor Emir Kir issued an order to prohibit it from continuing.
The venue was then surrounded by police, and speakers and guests outside were denied access. Those who were already attending were told that if they left they would also be barred access.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International), Mayor Kir cited that his reasons for stopping the conference were as follows: “that [NatCon’s] vision is not only ethically conservative (e.g. hostility to the legalization
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