Two free speech campaigners have been arrested in Belgium for staging a peaceful demonstration against allowing children to access puberty blockers.
Lois McLatchie Miller of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Chris Elston, otherwise known as “Billboard Chris”, have written to Belgian authorities to demand an investigation and compensation following their arrest in Brussels in June for simply expressing their views on the harmful effects of puberty blockers on children.
Lois and Chris staged their peaceful protest in a square in the heart of Brussels. This consisted of them having conversations with members of the public while each wore signs that read, “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers” and “Children are never born in the wrong body.”
While attempting to conduct a series of interviews, the campaigners were harassed and therefore called on the police to ensure they could exercise their right to freedom of expression. This did not go the way one might have hoped, as they were subsequently arrested by Belgian police.
Four police vehicles and fourteen officers surrounded Lois and Chris and ordered them to remove their signs or face arrest. The officers claimed they took no issue with the campaigners asking questions, but insisted that wearing signs was against the law because it turned their actions into a public demonstration—something that requires permission from the Mayor under Belgian law.
The campaigners were held in custody for several hours and had their signs confiscated and destroyed. They were, however, not charged.
Chris Elston, who is from Canada and is well known for travelling around the world wearing sandwich boards with messages inscribed on them, claims that while in custody he was stripped down to his underwear. He intends to return to Brussels and expects the authorities to uphold his right to free speech.
This incident is undoubtedly set to add to mounting US concerns over Europe’s failure to uphold the fundamental principle of freedom of speech. Last week, the Trump White House released a national security document listing “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition” in Europe as a major concern for the American government.
Over the course of the last year, US officials have spoken out about their deep concern over the erosion of free speech in Europe, especially in the UK. The US Vice President, JD Vance, has been the most senior and outspoken critic within the administration.
It was even reported in The Telegraph last month that the White House was allegedly considering offering political asylum to UK “thought criminals”. It is thought that this list would include gender-critical activists, critics of mass migration, and pro-life campaigners.
It is clear that Europe is grappling with a serious free speech crisis. European leaders can continue to bury their heads in the sand, or they can do the hard yards required to safeguard their citizens’ right to free speech. Felix Bollmann, Director of European Advocacy for ADF International, has weighed in on the incident, stating: “Whether online or on the street, it is clear that free speech has reached a crisis point in Europe. EU governments cannot claim to uphold human rights while repeatedly violating the right to free expression.
“Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against two individuals who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of increasingly aggressive bystanders.
“Any society that denies the basic right to express the truth is on a path to totalitarianism.”
You can read more in The Telegraph.