Where Is Our Justice Department?

 The pro-Hamas protests are spreading like wildfire across American university campuses. The Jew-hatred that these protests routinely feature is beyond sickening. Columbia, Yale, NYU, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley. One university president after another loses control of his or her campus to radical mobs, made up of extremist Muslims, Antifa types, and just plain old indoctrinated zombies, who have been led to believe that Israel is some sort of genocidal state. And it's not just the despicable groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and others; there are also many  university professors egging the students on. Just recently, in the face of the October atrocities carried out by Hamas, professors around the nation are forming Faculty for Justice in Palestine chapters to support SJP.

The mobs occupying places like Columbia, USC, and UCLA are made up partly of students and professors, as well as outside activists. Like moths to flame, the far left of America is joining together to back the terrorists of Hamas and trash not only Israel, but our country as well.

As a veteran of these campus conflicts, I respect the principle of free speech. I have engaged in some spirited discussions with certain people I consider anti-Semites, but I have never engaged in disruption or intimidation. There are legitimate protocols to be followed, and the orders of police have to be followed. If they are in error, that can be hashed out later. Unfortunately, the spirit of free speech and civil dialogue does not mean anything to the pro-Hamas crowd. They do not respect free speech as it applies to those they disagree with. For years, they have been disrupting Jewish events on campus and bullying Jewish students. Now it has reached new heights. 

Disrupting speaking events of others is not free speech. Implicitly or explicitly calling for the murder of Jews is not free speech. Engaging in bullying and intimidation is not free speech. Occupying public space and closing it off to others (like Jewish students) is not free speech. Obstructing and disrupting the operations of the university is not free speech. Those students who engage in such activities should be suspended or expelled. If any crime whatsoever has been committed, there should be criminal charges. Any foreign students here on student visas engaged in disruptive behavior on our campuses should be expelled and deported.

This week, the University of Texas at Austin called in police to remove protesters from the campus. That should be the template. But it is not just the campus police and local police who should be involved. The federal law enforcement agencies should be involved. Make no mistake: There is subversive activity involved in all this. I do not believe for a minute that this is just grassroots students and faculty responding to what is happening in Gaza. As stated, it is clear that many of these protesters are not students. There is an organization to all this, and you would have be naive not to believe that this organization reaches across state lines. That's where the federal government comes in. News reports are now emerging claiming that good old George Soros is pumping his dirty money into this. I have no independent knowledge or proof, but if I were a betting man, I know where I would place my bets.

If, indeed, there is an organized movement afoot to sow violence and hate on our campuses, to encourage people to attack Jews or break laws, then the appropriate federal law enforcement agencies should get involved. Yes, that means our trusty Justice Department under Merrick Garland, if he can pull himself away from tracking down everybody that was in Washington DC on January 6, 2021 and parents protesting at school board meetings. That means the FBI, if they can pull themselves away from investigating Trump. Where appropriate, the immigration authorities and Homeland Security have a role to play if any foreign students are involved. (I am not suggesting that foreign students are the main problem.)

I am not calling for a Gestapo-type roundup of the usual suspects. Those protesting within the boundaries of the law and the rules of the university can enjoy their right to protest peacefully and without disruption to the operations of the university. 

Nor am I advocating necessarily for new laws to crack down on protesters. Just enforce the laws we already have on the books. If people are coming together to conspire to break federal laws, we have a federal conspiracy statute to deal with that (under Title 18 of the US Code, section 371). 

Imagine, if you will, that black students on our university campuses were being subjected to what our Jewish students are being subjected to. Is there any doubt that the Justice Department would have rightly launched civil rights investigations? We would have already seen indictments and prosecutions by now.

To reiterate: People have the right to peacefully protest Israel's war in Gaza and demand a cease-fire. They do not have the right to break laws and take over university campuses interfering with the operations of the universities. Some will argue that arresting people and using force will just lead to more protests and more disorder. That is likely true. But doing nothing is just resulting in the same increase in disruptions. We cannot allow mobs to rule our campuses. It is time to enforce our laws, and it is time for our university administrators to enforce the rules of civilized conduct on their campuses.

UCLA: Anti-Israel Professor Goes Postal

 Hat tip RAIR Foundation USA and  Dr Afshine Emrani

I am cross-posting an article from RAIR Foundation USA regarding yesterday's UCLA anti-Israel circus. It features a video clip on X showing a hysterical UCLA professor being schooled by a Jewish student on the meaning of genocide. At one point, the so-called professor had to ask her student followers for help when hit with a question by the Jewish student. The bemused student repeatedly points out to the onlookers that this is a UCLA professor!

I'm surprised the woman didn't fall into the fountain she was so discombobulated. 

France: 16-Year-Old Arrested for Planning Terror Attack Against Olympic Games

La Defense: The  alleged target

French police have arrested a 16-year-old male (not further identified) who is charged with planning to carry out a terrorist attack against the upcoming Olympic Games in France, in the name of ISIS.

The below article from yesterday's Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/un-adolescent-de-16-ans-interpelle-pour-un-projet-d-attentat-pendant-les-jeux-olympiques-20240424

Terrorist attack: 16-year-old adolescent arrested for plan to attack La Defense (arena) during the Olympic games.

By Steve Tenre and Guillaume Poingt

Posted yesterday at 18:55, updated 6 hours ago.

According to our information, the minor said in messages on Telegram that he wanted to obtain material to put together an explosive belt, "in order to die a martyr in the name of the Islamic Caliphate".

Panic over the Olympic games. A 16-year-old adolescent has been arrested at Marignier (Haute-Savoie), suspected of preparing a jihadist attack during the Olympic games at La Defense (Hauts-de-Seine), Le Figaro learned Wednesday, April 24, according to the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office, who opened a case for "terrorist criminal association". He has been placed in custody by police from the General Directorate of Interior Security (DGSI).

The individual was detected after a tip to the local prosecutor's office concerning troubling remarks posted on the secure messaging channel, Telegram. The minor talked of his wish to procure materials to put together an explosive belt, "for the purpose of dying as a martyr in the name of the Islamic Caliphate," a police source stated.

Pledge of allegiance to Daesh (ISIS)

The young man was arrested by judicial police at his parents' residence. During a search, investigators recovered handwritten documents, including a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State. The cell phone of the suspect was also seized. According to a source close to the case, no explosive belt was recovered by the investigators.

During questioning, the adolescent admitted wanting to commit an attack during the Olympic games, "with a gun or an explosive belt". According to a police source, the minor, of French nationality,"was already the object of monitoring due to radicalization". The investigation is assigned to DGSI. 

His term of custody can last up to a maximum of 96 hours, or extended until Saturday morning. "Until then, the investigators are interrogating the minor based on digital data, they have collected from his personal items," a judicial source indicates, who points out that at this stage, "prudence is necessary"' as to this plan to carry out a terrorist act.

Pro-Hamas Demonstration at University of Southern California

 

The situation is tense today at USC-the home of the Trojans. Hundreds of pro-Hamas supporters are marching through the campus with their flags, scarves, and bullhorns. (According to what one non-protesting student told KTLA News, bullhorns are prohibited on campus.) There has been some pushing and shoving with campus police officers. At one point, officers detained one protester and their car was surrounded by protesters who demanded the protester be released. (He eventually was, according to KTLA News.) Some protesters attempted to set up tents to occupy an open park on campus, but officers removed the tents. The LAPD is positioned just outside the campus in case they are needed.

This situation is ongoing as I write.

Update:2:11 pm: KTLA News is reporting that school officials have closed the USC campus to all but students. That occurred about 30 minutes ago.

Update: At about 4 pm (on 4-24), LAPD was called in to remove protesters for trespassing (USC is a private university) and approximately 100 misdemeanor arrests were made for trespassing. One person was also charged for assault with a deadly weapon (no further details).

France: Afghans Riot in Paris

Le Journal du Dimanche

On Saturday, April 20, some 200 Afghan demonstrators took to the streets in Paris to pay tribute to three Afghans who died in a shooting incident/fire in the city on April 7. At some point, the demonstration turned into a riot, as the below videos clearly show. Four people were arrested for destruction of property.

The  French blog, Francois deSouche has an article with news links and lots of videos. It seems, however, that the French media, in general, is not giving much coverage to the incident.

The below article from Francois deSouche, which has an excerpt from Journal du Dimanche and videos, is translated by Fousesquawk. 

https://www.fdesouche.com/2024/04/22/paris-11eme-hier-une-manifestation-de-migrants-afghans-a-degenere-en-plein-paris-sans-quaucun-media-ne-levoque/

Paris (11th arrondissement). Demonstration by Afghan migrants degenerates on Rue Charonne; Media coverage of events almost non-existent. (Update): CNews and JDD (Le Journal du Dimanche) mention riot

Francois April 22, 2024 at 12:05

Leaders from the right, Rassemblement Nationale, and Reconquete (Reconquest), stepped up to denounce the scenes of violence that happened on 20 April in the capital during a demonstration. Some of them bemoaned the almost non-existent media coverage of the events.

Clashes during a demonstration in honor of the victims of a fire on Rue de Charonne.

The demonstration that degenerated was, according to the police prefecture of Paris, a mobilization in honor of the victims of the fire on 7 April on Rue de Charonne. In this incident, le Parisien reported recently, the occupant of the apartment set on fire is suspected of having shot to death two of his guests, one of whom an Afghan co-national, before setting fire to the scene to get rid of the traces of his crime. Three persons were killed during the tragedy, of which the criminal (motive) is assumed.

-Journal du Dimanche

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Tweet from police prefecture:

On Saturday, 20 April 20, a demonstration, called to honor the victims of the fire on April 20, 2024, on Rue de Charonne, was held from the Charonne Metro to 154 (Rue de Charonne). Upon dispersal around 17:30, of the 200 participants on Rue de Charonne, some of the demonstrators who had remained at the scene, took off in a wild procession and were quickly blocked by police. 

The (police) proceeded with the arrests of four individual perpetrators, specifically for damage to outdoor furniture at the corner of Rue de Charonne and Boulevard Voltaire.

The situation returned to normal some 20 minutes later, the gathering of demonstrators (was) dispersed by the FDO (forces of order-police), who utilized intermediate means of defense (3 tear gas canisters) to carry it out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tweet from Officiers et Commissaires de Police

Saturday, a demonstration in honor of the victims of the fire of April 7, 2024 on Rue de Charonne degenerated at the time of dispersion, Rue de Charonne in Paris. Police intervened to restore order and arrested 4 perpetrators for destruction of property.

Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang) Discusses Immigration in Europe

 Hat tip Vlad Tepes, Gates of Vienna, and Rair Foundation USA.

Filip Dewinter

I am cross-posting an article from RAIR Foundation USA featuring an excerpt from an April 18 interview of Filip Dewinter on Ungehoord Nederland, a conservative news outlet in the Netherlands. Dewinter is a Belgian politician from the Vlaams Belang Party, a Flemish-oriented party that is pushing for reduced migration into Belgium given that country's problems with crime and terrorism. The translation into English subtitles was done by Fousesquawk and Henk.

The Campus Protests: Is There a Silver Lining?

This article first appeared in Times of Israel Blogs.

Columbia University

Nobody who supports Israel and cares about anti-Semitism can be pleased with the scenes coming out of our universities and cities in which thousands of protesters are screaming for blood against Israel and also against Jewish people in general. At the moment, New York City and Columbia University are in the spotlight, and the scenes are disgusting. Meanwhile, we have a doddering president who is trying to thread the needle in his approach to the Gaza war, condemning anti-Semitism while trying to placate Muslim/Arab voters, particularly in a crucial swing state like Michigan, where their numbers are most concentrated.

It is truly a depressing state of affairs, especially when you see how Jewish students in universities all over the nation are afraid to show their Jewishness in class and on campus. Those of us who have been fighting anti-Semitism on our campuses are sickened by the ever-increasing expressions of hate being directed toward our Jewish students and Jews in general.

But amid all the despair and the outrage, is there anything encouraging to be found-a silver lining, so to speak? On the surface, it is easy to say no, but in one respect, there is a silver lining. When I first got involved in the issue of anti-Semitism at the University of California at Irvine as a part-time teacher around 2007, it was a struggle just to bring the problem to the attention of the local Jewish community in Orange County, let alone the US as a whole. The universities were in denial there was a problem, largely out of fear of their Muslim student activists and organizations like CAIR, who stood behind them and were ready to charge Islamophobia at the drop of a hat.

In addition, major Jewish organizations like Hillel, the Anti-Defamation League, and the various chapters of the Jewish Federation were reluctant to air complaints publicly because they preferred to work quietly behind the scenes with the universities, and they did not want to discourage Jewish students from attending the respective schools where they operated. Thus, many activists and Jewish students who chose to speak out were often criticized, sometimes even ostracized within their own communities. It was said that they were making things worse and that the universities had it all under control. They were wrong. Today, they are not making that claim.

I personally recall the lack of action by the local ADL in Orange County to the problem at UC Irvine. I was not optimistic things would get better with Jonathan Greenblatt, a noted liberal, taking over the organization. Today, Greenblatt is speaking out about the outrages going on at Columbia and other universities and is calling for arrests and law and order. That is a positive development.

It is also a positive development that in the past few years, the public at large is now fully aware that there, indeed, is a resurgence in anti-Semitism in the US, and that the center of that problem is on our college campuses. They are now seeing it front and center on the nightly news, some media more than others, but nobody can claim ignorance including our cowardly university administrators. I give kudos to the Republican-led Education and Workforce Committee in the House of Representatives for bringing several university presidents in to testify. The result is that the public has seen clearly how feckless and cowardly these people are in general. The presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have rightly been forced to resign. More should follow. Many more.

More than ever, our universities are being exposed as cesspools of indoctrination against the very values that America and the West hold dear. The non-stop agitation against Israel has now been exposed as little more than an exercise in Jew-hatred, which should have no place in our society.

In addition, it is important that we clearly identify who the perpetrators of this hatred on our campuses are. They are not MAGA supporters, conservatives, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, or KKK-types. They are Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, extremist Muslims and their anarchist stooges, people like Antifa and others who have jumped on the anti-Israel bandwagon because they want to bring down a key American ally, people who want to bring down America itself.

So if there is a silver lining in all this ugliness, it is that the American public is now fully aware of the problem of anti-Semitism and the role of our universities in stirring up this hatred. This is definitely going to affect the universities, primarily in the bottom line. Donations are going down, Jewish students are deciding to avoid schools like Columbia, and more parents, Jewish and non-Jewish, will decide not to send their kids to these schools with their already outrageous tuitions going to pay for radical professors and layers upon layers of administrators who cannot or will not do their jobs.

I still believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans are decent people who, when shown that there is actual injustice, will do the right thing. Most of us abhor anti-Semitism and support Israel, including in this current struggle against Hamas in Gaza. There is much to be done in fighting anti-Semitism in the US and much to be done in reforming our universities, but at least now, nobody can deny the problem. Campus anti-Semitism is no longer able to operate in the darkness. And that, I believe, is a silver lining.

 

Northwestern Dean of Students Joins Anti-Israel Protest

Hat tip Legal Insurrection

At Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, it seems that the administration itself is now participating in anti-Israel protests. Not only did the usual miscreants from Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace show up to protest on April 15, but they were joined by the Dean of Students, Mona Dugo! During the protest, several participants verbally attacked the campus chapter of Hillel.

Mona Dugo

-Washington Free Beacon

Here is how the campus newspaper, Daily Northwestern, reported it.

My first question was whether part of the protest actually took place in front of the Hillel facility (apparently not). I examined a campus map of Northwestern online and found that the various locations mentioned for the protest are separate and away from the Hillel office. How far the walking distance is I can't say. Wherever the demonstration took place, what is troubling is not necessarily that the dean of students was present, but why she was present according to her own statement.

Based on my own experiences and knowledge of the Orange County Hillel at UC Irvine, where I used to teach, they are set up on college campuses to support Jewish students and enhance their campus life with social and religious functions. As to what extent they support Israel varies from campus to campus and chapter to chapter. Within National Hillel in recent years, there has been an effort by some elements to establish "open Hillel" chapters that would admit Jewish students opposed to Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. In the last several years, the UC Irvine chapter has usually discouraged Jewish students from getting involved in Israel-related campus conflicts, preferring to keep a low profile and work with the university. The current president of Hillel at UC Irvine has attended some of the recent campus anti-Israel events, not to join in, but rather to observe and document what goes on. At any rate, I think it would be highly inappropriate to protest in front of any Hillel office on any campus. It would only lend credence to the widespread belief (including mine) that this entire movement is anti-Semitic.

As to Dugo's presence at the protest itself, it is not unusual for such university officials to show up to observe the goings-on and ensure that order is maintained (not to ensure that the protesters' free speech rights and right to protest are protected). Dugo's words imply that she supported the protesters. At best, her words were awkward and at worst, outrageous. I think she owes Hillel and Northwestern's Jewish students either a clarification or an apology. 

*Update: From The College Fix

A 2019 photo from Dugo's Facebook page.

Dugo in center

Defund Columbia !

This article first appeared in New English Review.

-Fox News

 For several years now, Columbia University has been at or near the top of the list of schools that are

hostile to Jewish students thanks to the pro-Palestinian movement that has infected so many campuses.

This week, however, Columbia has reached a new low with sit-ins and protests that have shocked the

nation in the violence of the rhetoric and threats to Jewish students. Inside the campus, a group of

knuckleheads set up a tent city and defied the requests of the university to vacate until the NYPD was

called in to remove them. One wonders where the campus police were, if Columbia even has a campus

police force. Outside the gates of the school, rioters fought with police and screamed “Death to Israel,

Death to America,” and so on. To top it off, four university officials including the president, Minouche

Shafik, testified before Congress and demonstrated their weakness and ineptitude. And today we learn

that a local campus rabbi has urged Jewish students to leave campus for their own safety. And if that

wasn’t enough, the campus newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, is openly supporting the mob and

dismissing charges of campus anti-Semitism.

To be fair, the university has taken a few steps to try and fix the problem including suspensions of

Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. Sending in the NYPD to remove the

squatters was a positive step, no matter what the Spectator claims to the contrary. However, it is not

enough, and it is clear that the administration has lost control of the campus to the pro-Hamas mobs.

Minouche has failed miserably, and she should go, just as radical professors like Joseph Massad should

go. But who should stay-anyone?

Columbia does receive public money even though it is a private institution, and under the present

conditions, it is time for radical solutions. This university, at the present, has no business remaining

open. Whatever their sources of funding are, they should stop. Jewish families should refrain from

sending their children to Columbia. Non-Jewish families should stand with Jewish students by not

sending their own children to Columbia. Donors should follow suit and find other uses for their

philanthropy. According to its 2023 fiscal year statement, 20% of Columbia’s revenue came from

government grants (1.2 billion dollars). That would be a good place to start. In addition, 562 million

dollars (9%) came from private gifts and grants. What if most of that were to go away? Net tuition was

1.5 billion dollars (24%). A serious drop in enrollments would cut into that total dramatically.

Columbia is not the only university that deserves to be shut down. There are plenty of public 

universities that are unworthy of public funding. Like Columbia, they are awash in money from places 

like China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, who use that leverage to influence the corrupt curricula (i.e. 

Middle East Studies). Astronomical tuitions do nothing but feed the astronomical salaries of professors,

 deans, chairs, etc., so they can teach worthless courses like gender studies, LGBTQ studies, and ethnic 

studies, all the while denigrating America, the West, whites, Jews, and trying to figure out ways to 

decrease the Asian-American student population (because they do so well academically). Let’s face it: 

A college education today is not worth what it used to be

Returning to Columbia in particular, it is time to make an example out of this cesspool and shut it 

down. The question begs, however: Just who will shut it down? (The university is run by 24 trustees.) 

Thus, the only answer I see is to make it go bankrupt.

UK: London Police Threatened Jewish Leader With Arrest at Pro-Hamas March

Good news, mein Fuehrer. London is almost judenrein."

On April 13, Gideon Falter, the CEO of Campaign Against Anti-Semitism in the UK, was threatened with arrest by London police when he showed up at a pro-Hamas march through London wearing a kippah. Police told Gideon that his presence would incite the pro-Hamas marchers.

Police everywhere, not just in London, need to be reminded that the guilty parties are the ones who actually resort to violence, not their would-be victims, whose only "crime" was to be present in public space exercising their rights. In this case, Falter and his friends were not engaging in counter-protest or waving Israeli flags. They were merely walking down a public street.

Falter does not blame the individual officers themselves, rather the chief of the London Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, the one who gives the orders to a clearly beleaguered police force who have to deal with this pro-Hamas rabble who choose to march every Saturday with their violent rhetoric. Hopefully, this embarrassing incident will cost Rowley his job.

Will Columbia Finally Be Held to Account?

Hat tip Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Algemeiner

Minouche Shafik (l) before Congress

 Yesterday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Virginia Foxx (R-NC), held a hearing in which administrators of Columbia University were called to testify, including Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who faced sharp questioning from the Republican members of the committee.

Also, yesterday, pro-Hamas students set up an encampment on Columbia's campus and ignored repeated university requests to disband. Today, Shafik called in the NYPD to remove the demonstrators. As I write, there are still volatile protests going on outside the gates of Columbia. Over 100 pro-Hamas demonstrators have been arrested by NYPD to date. The list includes Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, who has reportedly been suspended by neighboring Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia. Omar (D-MN), ironically, sits on the same committee. Not surprisingly, her questions were primarily centered around her concern for the free speech rights of the pro-Hamas protesters at Columbia.

This is what years of anti-Semitic agitation on Columbia's campus have led to.

Yesterday's hearing was preceded by a press conference by Reps. Foxx and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who were accompanied by Jewish students at Columbia who had come to Capitol Hill to testify about the anti-Jewish climate on their campus. Two of the students addressed reporters at this press conference.

While it is encouraging that Columbia has taken recent steps in the right direction, including having the NYPD break up the encampment on campus today, far too much has been allowed to take place over the past several years, especially since October 7, when Hamas committed the worst atrocity seen against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Columbia professor, Joseph Massad, openly praised the attack as "awesome", while more recently, students held an unsanctioned forum "Resistance 101", in which Khaled Barakat, a known supporter, if not a member, of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US-designated terror organization, was invited to speak.  (Four students have been suspended as a result) In fact, for several years, Columbia has consistently ranked among the nation's most anti-Semitic universities.

Massad, a tenured professor, originally from Jordan, is apparently under investigation by Columbia for the above statement, but it is unclear if he has, in fact, been removed from his position as chair of an academic committee.

Another professor, Mohamed Abdou, who has publicly stated his support for Hamas, is apparently on his way out the door, according to Shafik, who stated that he will never teach at  Columbia again. Here is what his bio on the Columbia website has to say about his academic expertise.

 “......a North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition and decolonization.”

That says volumes about Columbia's academic mission.

But there is more. Columbia is also home to Rashid Khalidi and Hamid Dabashi, both noted for their anti-Israel activism, both long accused of anti-Semitic statements. Throw in the rest of the Middle East studies crowd, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), both suspended last November, and what you have at Columbia is a mess, for which the administration of this Ivy League university must take responsibility.

 Positive steps have been taken, but more are needed. If Shafik wants to keep her job, she needs to clean house at Columbia. The suspensions of SJP and JVP should be made permanent, and the university should take a close look at those who have stained the reputation of this university, both students and faculty. Is this what they want representing their university? 

While people certainly have the right to peacefully protest as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, the campus and the streets outside the campus should not belong to supporters of Hamas. Once they cross the line and break the law, they should be removed and arrested. Disciplinary action from both the courts and the university should follow.

Belgian Mayor (Partially) Shuts Down Conservative Conference

Yesterday, a group of European conservative leaders gathered outside Brussels for a two-day conference. That didn't sit well with the municipal mayor, Emir Kir, who sent in the police. A few hours into the conference, police entered the hall and announced that whoever was outside the meeting room would not be allowed to re-enter. Those already inside continued the meeting.

That has caused an outcry from critics including the Premier of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, who termed the mayor's action unconstitutional.

The below article from Belgium's Dutch-language newspaper, De Standaard, is translated by Fousesquawk. The article is dated April 16, 2024.

https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20240416_96307783

Police raid during conservative congress blows up in the face of Mayor Kir

Caption Mayor of Sint-Joost-ten-Node sends in officers to stop right-wing-conservative congress-De Standaard

By sending the police to disrupt a congress of rightwing conservatives in Sint-Joost, Mayor Emir Kir gave those present the chance to make their point about structural censorship in front of the cameras. Premier De Croo also called Kirs' action "unacceptable".

Today at 10:08, 

Pieter Van Maele 

"Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia", said the French radical-right politician, Eric Zemmour, Tuesday afternoon. "It is once again clear that in Brussels, a dissenting voice cannot be heard," said Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang party). Brexit advocate Nigel Farage said, "This undemocratic behavior has now convinced me that Brexit was the only correct choice." Victor Orban, the Hungarian premier, tweeted that he was again reminded of his struggle against the communist regime in the 1980s. "We didn't give up then, and we shouldn't do that now."

All four were supposed to take part in the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, a two-day right-wing conservative congress. That was originally supposed to take place in a hall in Brussels-City until the manager got wind of the content and canceled the event. Then the organizers switched to Etterbeek, where the same thing happened. On Tuesday morning, they were forced to settle on Claridge Hall in Sint-Joost-ten-Node. The manager of the hall said that after "consultation with his lawyer," he had decided the event could go forward.

Event not stopped

That was strictly against the wishes of Emir Kir (independent) the mayor of the Brussels municipality, who sent the police in Tuesday to put an "immediate" stop to the congress. He did that on the basis of a threat assessment by the anti-terrorist service, Ocad. De Standaard learned, in which there was a warning of a possible disruption, not just by the right-wing event itself, but also by extreme leftist counter-demonstrators. "Racists are not welcome in Brussels, nor in Etterbeek, nor in Sint-Joost," Kir also tweeted Tuesday.

Then around noon-Nigel Farage was speaking- a handful of police officers entered the hall, the meeting being in progress for some hours. That took place literally behind closed doors. On the thickly-sealed roll-down shutters hung a note with the telephone number of someone in the organizing Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a right-wing think tank from Hungary.

Caption: Eric Zemmour stated to the press, "Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia."

The police did not completely stop the event. They did set up a cordon of about 20 riot police in front of the entrance to the hall. Whoever was outside the hall at that moment, like Zemmour, was not allowed back in by the officers. Inside, the congress went on virtually undisturbed.

"Unconstitutional"

If Kir thought that his demarche would put a damper on the organization, he achieved the opposite. Aside from the many strong expressions from right-wing leaders about the alleged censorship, parliamentary leaders from Vlaams Belang and the French Rassemblement National (until recently led by Marine LePen), for example, posed happily alongside riot police. 

It was recorded by cameras, among others, from Hir-TV, long one of the last critical news broadcasters in Hungary until the channel was bought up by one of Orban's supporters in 2018. And simultaneously with his declaration of Belgium as a "sharia state", on social media, an image was disseminated with a muzzled Zemmour. It stated, "The silencing imposed by a Belgian mayor of Turkish origin". 

Caption: Filip Dewinter (middle) posed next to assembled officers

But Premier Alexander De Croo also was critical on Tuesday about the action of Kir. He wrote on X (Twitter) that he found the action "unacceptable". "Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it can never push aside the Belgian constitution. Since 1830, it has guaranteed freedom of expression and guarantees the right of peaceful assembly. The banning of political meetings is unconstitutional. Period."

At about 5:30. some 50 far-left counter-demonstrators tried to get to the event hall, but they were stopped after a few hundred meters near the Madou Metro Station by police. It is as yet unclear if the 2nd day of the event will go on as planned.