Belgian police shut down a far-right conference as it rallies ahead of Europe’s June elections

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian police have shut down a gathering of far-right politicians and supporters, citing concerns about public order. Attendees protested curbs on free speech and vowed to find another venue for their gathering. The National Conservative conference comes ahead of Europe-wide elections in June. Mainstream parties fear that disenchanted voters might turn to the people at NatCon 2024. Anti-migrant sentiment featured in a number of speeches on Tuesday and some targeted what they saw as the follies of climate policy, “narco-socialism” or “woke indoctrination.” There was sharp opposition to multinational organizations like the European Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was due to speak on Wednesday.