TheNational Conservatism Conference (abbreviated asNatCon like many other conventions) is a conference dedicated to the ideology ofnational conservatism. It is run by the Edmund Burke Foundation,[1] a Washington D.C. based think-tank led byYoram Hazony.[2]
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".[16][17][18]
The MPMiriam Cates was criticised for her use of the term "cultural Marxism" in her speech.[19][20] The journalistDouglas 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".[21]
The 2024 conference, held at the Claridge event space inBrussels, made headlines for being shut down by theBelgian police on April 16 following an order by district MayorEmir Kir.[25][26] Kir cited public safety as a concern.[27] Two other Brussels-area venues had previously backed out of hosting the conference due to pressure from local mayors.[25] 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.[25] Scheduled speakers includedPrime Minister of HungaryViktor Orbán, British politiciansSuella Braverman andNigel Farage, and French politicianEric Zemmour.[25]Prime Minister of BelgiumAlexander De Croo condemned the shutting-down of the event, calling police's actions "unacceptable" and in violation offree speech protections in theBelgian Constitution.[27] A spokesperson forUnited Kingdom Prime MinisterRishi Sunak called the decision "extremely disturbing".[27] Orbán and Farage compared the shutting-down of the conference to the actions ofcommunists.[27]
The conference resumed on April 17, after theCouncil of State overturned the decision to shut it down.[28][29] 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 might have.[28][29]
On the second day of the conference Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called for a change of leadership in Brussels as he criticised the European Union’s policies on migration and Ukraine.[30]
^van Zuylen-Wood, Simon (January 4, 2022)."The Radicalization of J.D. Vance".The Washington Post. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2025.National conservatism is the intellectual version of Trumpism, committed to the populist reorienting of the GOP away from free markets and interventionist foreign policy. As Trump never fully pursued his own project, the movement has taken on a slightly anarchic quality; surveying the conference's speakers, it could be difficult to tell what linked Orban-defender Dreher to, say, Orlando Magic power forward Jonathan Isaac.
