Flemish Parliament president Freya Van den Bossche (Vooruit) has summoned the British envoy to Belgium for talks after MP Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang) was denied entry to the United Kingdom.
British authorities revoked Dewinter's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), preventing the Flemish MP from travelling to London, where he had been invited by far-right activist Tommy Robinson to attend an anti-immigration demonstration titled "Unite the West".
According to UK authorities, Dewinter's presence was deemed not to be "in the public interest".
Reacting to the decision, Van den Bossche said she wanted clarification regarding the motives behind the move.
"Freedom of expression is an extremely precious value. It is included in the Constitution for a reason," she said.
The president of the Flemish Parliament added that she intends to discuss the matter directly with the British ambassador.
"If it turns out this is simply about difficulty accepting a different opinion, that would be shocking," she said. "I will express my deep concern on this matter."
