How a conservative conference morphed into a crisis of liberalism

One of the few benefits of Britain leaving the European Union, at least for denizens of Brussels, was that Nigel Farage all but disappeared from the city’s parliament, pubs and speaking circuit. The blowhard Brexiteer’s return to the Belgian capital on April 16th will have done little to rekindle his passion for the place. As the former MEP addressed several hundred fellow-travellers of the hard right at a conference, Belgian police swooped into the venue with orders to shut the event down. Outnumbered, the coppers ended up beating a discreet retreat, allowing Mr Farage to deliver a few more quips about gravy-train Eurocrats and fake-news media. After some to and fro, the police opted to seal the conference venue instead, leaving the afternoon’s speakers stuck outside and—worse, for attendees including Charlemagne—caterers unable to deliver food. Not to worry: lunch was replaced by a stern lecture from Suella Braverman, Britain’s former home secretary, about the dastardliness of human-rights lawyers.