Hungary’s Orbán Accuses Brussels Of Blackmail At Turbulent Gathering
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s pro-Russia prime minister says Ukraine has become “a protectorate of the West,” which would not exist without the West’s supply of weapons and financial support.
Viktor Orbán made the remarks at a turbulent conference of the radical-right elite in Brussels, which was initially broken up by police in an incident condemned by the Belgian prime minister and others.
“Ukraine is not an independent country anymore,” Orbán told participants at the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon). Orbán, who supports peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and invading Russia, has refused to give military support to Kyiv.
He also lashed out at the perceived “blackmail by Brussels,” referring to the European Union, which has declined to give billions in EU funding to Hungary over rule-of-law concerns and Orbán’s perceived authoritarian policies.
Orbán also condemned the illegal migration that he said was “considered a crime in Hungary” but forced upon his nation by the EU. His speech followed a decision by Belgium’s highest court that NatCon could go ahead after police broke up the gathering, citing a Brussels district mayor’s concerns about security.
Belgium’s highest court ruled late Tuesday that NatCon could go ahead in the country’s capital despite Emir Kir issuing an order to halt the April 16–17 gathering.
Besides Orbán, the gathering featured among its speakers the Vatican’s former doctrinal chief, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, French Presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, Britain’s former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and the founder of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage.
‘A DISGRACE’
The British politician called the attempted shutdown “a disgrace” and accused the EU of becoming the “new form of communism.” He added that the wife of a Tunisian entrepreneur who offered his venue for the gathering had been threatened, along with catering companies.
Video footage showed police entering the building on Tuesday in a scene that reminded critics of the Soviet era or the break up of independent church gatherings in countries such as China.
Farage condemned the break up in Brussels, which is supposed to be the heart of European democracy with its European Union parliament and other institutions.
He accused Emir Kir, the Socialist Party mayor of the central Brussels neighborhood where the gathering took place, of having links to Islamic extremist groups in Turkey.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also condemned the local mayor’s decision to shut down the event.
At first, the police entered the venue to execute Kir’s order, but authorities ended up allowing the event to continue, opting to barricade the entrance to prevent attendees from entering or reentering.
However, “What happened at the Claridge [building] today is unacceptable. Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution, which has guaranteed the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830,” De Croo said on social media
BAN ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’
“Banning political meetings is unconstitutional,” he added. “Full stop.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the president of the European Conservatives and Reformers (ECR) party, some of whose members were present at the event, thanked De Croo for “his timely and clear stance against the hateful oppression of freedom of expression taking place in Brussels.”
She said she asked him to follow up on the situation. Meloni said, “All the victims of this unjustifiable abuse, particularly the ECR members present,” had her “total solidarity.”
A spokesperson for Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared those sentiments, saying, “It’s very clear that canceling events or preventing attendance and non-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and democracy as a result. It’s very clear that free debate and exchange of views is vital. Even when you disagree.”
Conference organizers and participants have used the incident to claim censorship and lack of freedom of speech, doubling their accusations against Brussels, the seat of the EU, of promoting the growth of ‘cancel culture.’
Some conference participants are set to participate in a similar event in Budapest, CPAC Hungary, which has denied access to several media outlets, including a Worthy News reporter, arguing that the event is a “no woke zone.”
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