Gathering of right-wing politicians in Brussels descends into chaos as police and local mayor attempt to shut down conference with Nigel Farage lashing out at 'monstrous' efforts to silence speakers and warns: 'We are up against a new form of communism'

Nigel Farage today lashed out at 'monstrous' efforts to shut down a gathering of right-wing politicians in Brussels.

The ex-UKIP leader hit out as police and a local mayor in the Belgian capital attempted to cancel a 'National Conservatism' gathering.

As well as Mr Farage, speakers at the two-day event were also set to include ex-home secretary Suella Braverman and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban.

But the event was thrown into chaos as local officials frantically worked to close it down.

Police said they had been tasked by the local mayor to notify event organisers of a ban and were acting to 'prevent a public disturbance'.

Officers were seen inside the event venue around midday as they held talks with those in charge.

As he begun his conference address amid the chaos, Mr Farage said the events of the past hours had reminded him why Britain was 'right to leave' the Brussels-based European Union.

Speaking on his first official trip back to the Belgian capital since Britain left the EU, Mr Farage said: 'What has happened over the course of the last 48 hours is simply monstrous.'

He detailed how two venues had already pulled out of hosting the 'National Conservatism' conference prior to a third venue being found last night.

'What you may or may not know in the audience now is that this venue, which accepted this booking last night,' Mr Farage said.

'And we give huge thanks to the Tunisian owner of this business for his courage and for allowing free speech to take place.

'What is happening as we speak is he is receiving phone calls from the local mayor, the police are being encouraged to come in and shut down this conference.'

He added: 'They have told this Tunisian owner, who believes in free speech, that if he carries on with this conference, they will make sure he goes out of business.

'His wife is being threatened. This is what we are up against, we are up against an evil ideology, we are up against a new form of communism - this is nothing less than that.

'And if anything ever said to me that Brexit was the right thing to do.

'That leaving this place, regaining our national sovereignty - even if we could have carried it out better - that recognising that you cannot be an independent, democratic, self-governing nation state and a member of this monstrous union with its ideology behind it.

'Today has told me, I shall never forget it, we were right to leave, no question.'

Police for the Brussels district of Saint-Josse, where the venue is located confirmed to the AFP news agency, they had been tasked by the local mayor with notifying organisers of a ban.

'We are taking all necessary operational measures to prevent a public disturbance,' police spokeswoman Audrey Dereymaeker said.

John O'Brien, head of communications at MCC think tank, one of the joint organisers of the event, decried the closure order as 'Orwellian'.

He said the apparent justification was over public safety concerns, with anti-fascist demonstrators planning to protest at the venue later in the day.

The Belgian League of Human Rights is among the groups opposing the event.

'Freedom of speech may indeed apply to everyone, within the limits of the law, but that does not mean we have to open our home to the far-right,' it said in a statement last week.