A Brussels bookshop has reversed its decision to host a Conservative event, in the hope of preserving its status as an “inclusive space”, organisers of the gathering have claimed.
European Union think-tank MCC Brussels had planned to host the launch of its executive director Frank Furedi’s new book at the Piola.libri bookstore, located just a few minutes walk from the European Commission’s Berlaymont building.
Speaking to Brussels Signal on September 25, MCC Brussels said the location had cancelled the launch event for The War Against the Past, citing its desire to remain an “inclusive space”.
When you talk about the cordon sanitaire, it is not just in the European Parliament, it is present all across Brussels
“Despite having previously agreed to host the event, the venue withdrew its offer, citing concerns about the ‘political connotation’ of the launch and the bookstore’s commitment to being an ‘inclusive space’,” the think-tank said.
Furedi expressed “complete surprise” at the cancellation before warning that the incident represented what he called more evidence that freedom of speech in the EU was being curtailed.
“It was a bolt out of the blue,” the author and professor told Brussels Signal.
He emphasised that despite his book having been well-received by major intellectuals across the US and Europe — and even selling out soon after release in the UK — some in the “Eurobubble” now appeared to be keen to limit its spread.
“When you talk about the cordon sanitaire, it is not just in the European Parliament, it is present all across Brussels,” he said, voicing concern that pressure may have been applied on the bookstore by external forces who wanted to “have a go” at him and his colleagues.
“Cancel culture can appear in the most unlikely of places,” he added.
Piola.libri has been approached for comment.
MCC Brussels emphasised it was not the first time it had been the subject of politically-motivated cancellation. Earlier this year, the Brussels iteration of the National Conservatism conference was cancelled twice as a result of interference from local mayors in the EU capital.
The event was able to secure a third venue just a day before it was scheduled to begin. Still, this too was condemned by one of the city’s mayors, Emir Kir, who even sent in the police at one point in the hope of shutting the conference down.
Such attempts by Kir were eventually rebuffed by the Belgian justice system, with a court in the city ruling that the country’s constitution grants “everyone the right to assemble peacefully”.
The organisers behind the #NatConBrussels2 conference have won their appeal in court against local mayor Emir Kir enabling the event to continue into its second day. https://t.co/QWrrXiWdT7
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) April 17, 2024
