MCC Brussels, one of the co-organizers of the recent National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) in Brussels, will issue a lawsuit against local district Mayor Emir Kir for attempting to shut down the conference merely to silence political opposition last month, the think tank announced in a statement on Monday, May 13th.
As MCC’s head of communications, John O’Brien explained,
MCC will issue a lawsuit against the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode mayor, Emir Kir and his attempts on April 16th this year to infringe on the right of citizens to free speech when he issued an administrative police order to close down the NatCon Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
According to Yohann Rimokh, the lawyer filing the case on behalf of MCC, NatCon is only the tip of the iceberg that is a “shameful history of cases that should concern any person, regardless of political persuasion, who believes in the right to free speech and assembly.” But, he added, this is the first time that this unacceptable practice has been put so clearly on display for everyone to see.
The think tank promises that further details of the nature and purpose of the lawsuit will be shared at MCC Brussels’ event on free speech and online disinformation on Wednesday, May 15th.
NatCon, Europe’s largest conservative conference, was under attack from Brussels authorities from the beginning, as two venues were pressured into canceling the event at the very last minute. When a third venue accepted to host it just hours before the start, Mayor Kir opted to send in the cavalry and physically shut down the conference, while admitting in a tweet that he was not doing it to prevent public disorder (as the official excuse stated), but simply to strip the “far right” of its platform.
Only thanks to the quick intervention of ADF International—a legal support NGO defending free speech—could the conference resume after a few hours. Meanwhile, leaders across the continent condemned the mayor’s attempts to silence opposition voices, including Belgian PM Alexander De Croo himself.
In response and in order to prevent similar attacks from taking place, MCC launched the “Brussels Free Speech Declaration” in early May, still open for signatures here. The goal is to cultivate a network in support of all those whose “democratic rights are threatened by censorship, vague invocations of safety concerns, threats, and smear attacks—from whatever political backgrounds.”
But that’s only the first step, Frank Füredi, the head of MCC Brussels, vowed. “The fight is only just beginning. … We cannot rely on one judge who happens to decide in our favor. If the future of freedom relies on one individual, that freedom is in trouble.”
