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National Conservatism Conference

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Not to be confused with National Conservative Convention.

The National Conservatism Conference (stylized as NatCon) is a conference dedicated to the ideology of national conservatism. It is run by the Edmund Burke Foundation, a think-tank led by Yoram Hazony.[1]

History

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The conferences developed between May 2019 and February 2020 when they were held in London, Washington, and Rome. Subsequent conferences were held in Orlando (2021), Brussels (2022), Miami (2022), London (2023) and Brussels (2024).[2][3][4][5] Speakers billed to appear included Tucker Carlson,[6] Josh Hawley,[7] JD Vance,[8] Giorgia Meloni,[9] Marco Rubio,[10] Peter Thiel,[11] Kevin Roberts,[12] the British MP Daniel Kawczynski, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.[13]

2023 conference

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In 2023, the National Conservatism Conference was held in the Emmanuel Centre in London, attracting widespread media attention.[1] Speakers included the British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Conservative government ministers Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg and the historian David Starkey.[14][15]

In her speech, Braverman stated that uncontrolled immigration threatened the country's "national character", and that Britons should be trained to do the jobs where immigrants are currently employed. She also expressed opposition to what she referred to as "radical gender ideology".[14][15][16]

The MP Miriam Cates was criticised for her use of the term "cultural Marxism" in her speech.[17][18] The journalist Douglas Murray was criticised for saying that he could "see no reason why every other country in the world should be prevented from feeling pride in itself because the Germans mucked up twice in a century".[19]

During his speech at the conference, Jacob Rees-Mogg stated that the Elections Act 2022 was an attempt at gerrymandering that backfired.[20][21][22]

2024 conference

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The 2024 conference, held at the Claridge event space in Brussels, made headlines for being shut down by the Belgian police on April 16 following an order by district Mayor Emir Kir.[23][24] Kir cited public safety as a concern and stated that the far-right was "not welcome" in Brussels.[25] Two other Brussels-area venues had previously backed out of hosting the conference due to pressure from local mayors.[23] Police barricaded the entrance and allowed participants to leave, but did not let anyone enter; the event partially took place with those already in the building.[23] Scheduled speakers included Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, British politicians Suella Braverman and Nigel Farage, and far-right French politician Eric Zemmour.[23] Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo condemned the shutting down of the event, calling police's actions "unacceptable" and in violation of free speech protections in the Belgian Constitution.[25] A spokesperson for United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the decision "extremely disturbing".[25] Orbán and Farage compared the shutting down of the conference to the actions of communists.[25]

The conference resumed on April 17, after the Council of State overturned the decision to shut it down.[26][27] The Council ruled that there was no evidence of a threat to public order from the conference itself, and that the shutdown seemed to have been based on the reactions its opponents may have.[26][27]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the second day of the conference called for a change of leadership in Brussels as he criticised the European Union’s policies on migration and Ukraine.[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b Walker, Peter (2023-05-17). "Ten things we learned from the UK NatCon conference". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  2. ^ Milbank, Sebastian (2022-03-24). "Who are the National Conservatives?". The Critic Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  3. ^ "The Imperial Dilemma: Europe at a Crossroads Conference - Providence". providencemag.com. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. ^ Green, Emma (2019-07-17). "The Nationalists Take Washington". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ^ "Opinion | Under Trump, a very different agenda for conservatives emerges". Washington Post. 2019-07-28. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  6. ^ "Tucker Carlson". National Conservatism Conference 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  7. ^ "Josh Hawley". National Conservatism Conference, 2021. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  8. ^ Harris, Mary (2022-01-10). "J.D. Vance Has Turned a 30 Rock Joke Into a Viable Political Strategy". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  9. ^ "Giorgia Meloni". National Conservatism Conference, Rome 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. ^ "Rubio Speaks at NatCon 2022". U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  11. ^ "Peter Thiel at National Conservatism Conference: Nationalism Will Break The Dogma Machine". Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  12. ^ ""National conservatives" are forging a global front against liberalism". The Economist. London. February 15, 2024. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Weich, Ben. "Tory MP criticised for appearing alongside Orbán and far right". The JC. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  14. ^ a b Dearden, Lizzie (2023-05-19). "The ultra-conservative American radicals infiltrating the Tory party". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  15. ^ a b Rachman, Joseph (2023-05-18). "From hecklers to Holocaust: Strangest moments from National Conservatism Conference". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  16. ^ "Braverman Says Immigration Threatens UK 'National Character'". uk.style.yahoo.com. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  17. ^ Hansford, Amelia (2023-05-17). "Tory MP thinks 'cultural Marxism' is 'destroying children's souls'. No, seriously". PinkNews. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  18. ^ Walker, James (2023-05-15). "Tory MP brings up conspiracy theory with links to 'antisemitism' in chilling speech". The National. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  19. ^ Robertson, Adam (2023-05-17). "Anger after author's 'Germany mucked up twice' claim at Conservatism Conference". The National. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  20. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (2023-05-15). "Jacob Rees-Mogg criticises photo ID voting law, calling it move to 'gerrymander' elections – UK politics live". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  21. ^ McKeon, Christopher (2023-05-15). "Rees-Mogg appears to call voter ID policy 'gerrymandering'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  22. ^ Simons, Ned (2023-05-15). "Jacob Rees-Mogg Admits Tory Voter ID Law Was 'Gerrymandering'". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  23. ^ a b c d Wax, Eddy; Chiappa, Claudia (2024-04-16). "Farage and Orbán's Brussels jamboree descends into mayhem amid police siege". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  24. ^ Ahmed, Jabed (2024-04-16). "Police order right-wing event attended by Farage and Braverman to be shut down". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  25. ^ a b c d "Political storm erupts after police told to shut down hard-right NatCon event in Brussels". France 24. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  26. ^ a b www.colibricms.com. "Actualités - Conseil d'État". www.raadvst-consetat.be. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  27. ^ a b O'Carroll, Lisa (2024-04-17). "NatCon conference to resume after Brussels court overturns closure order". the Guardian. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  28. ^ Orbán to Brussels: Time to shake up ‘bad’ EU leadership https://www.politico.eu/article/hungarian-prime-minister-viktor-orban-calls-for-eu-leadership-change-at-the-upcoming-elections/ Retrieved: 2024.04.17
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