How can Brussels claim to value free speech if an activist inviting debate on the (fairly mild) claim that “children cannot consent to puberty blockers” in the so-called ‘capital of Europe’—and the home of the European Parliament, no less—winds up being handcuffed by police and taken into custody?
This was the fate of Canadian gender ideology-critical activist Chris Elston—better known as ‘Billboard Chris’—who was arrested on Thursday alongside Lois McLatchie from the Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF) for peacefully holding signs about gender identity. But those who formed an “aggressive” crowd around the pair got off scot-free.
Elston and McLatchie were eventually freed—following several hours in custody, which included being ordered to remove their clothes for a search, and after having their signs destroyed—and without being charged or convicted of any crime. (Obviously, since they had done nothing wrong.)
We just got out of jail in Brussels. What a day!
Huge thank you to @LoisMcLatch who handled all the craziness with perfection. She’s incredibly brave and put up with a lot of harassment, which is why we called police in the first place.
— Billboard Chris 🌎 (@BillboardChris) June 5, 2025
But by this time, the damage to freedom of expression had already been done. “JD Vance was right about Europe,” saideuropeanconservative.com columnist Rod Dreher, referring to the U.S. vice president’s Munich speech on Europe’s “enemy within.”
Dr. Calum Miller, McLatchie’s husband, also declared while his wife was in custody that
Free speech in Europe is DEAD.
He has since called on the U.S. State Department to impose sanctions on officials responsible for this attack on free speech, insisting that “this will not be the end of the story.”
This is not even the first time something like this has happened. Brussels officials last year sent police to shut down a conservative conference, prompting strong criticism from across the world. More recently, the far left has been hard at work trying to shut down events run by the MCC Brussels conservative think tank.
Before being arrested, Elston and McLatchie were approached by a young man who warned that “there are lots of people that want to harm you.” It turns out the real threat to free speech—on this occasion, at least—wasn’t thuggish crowds but the very establishment that is tasked with protecting that fundamental right.
ADF International says it is now “assessing all legal options to uphold free speech rights in Belgium.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
