Two activists were arrested in Brussels after displaying signs opposing puberty blockers for children, sparking a fierce debate about freedom of expression in the European Union capital.
Chris Elston, known as "Billboard Chris", and Alliance Defending Freedom International employee Lois McLatchie Miller were detained by Belgian police on Thursday whilst wearing billboards with messages reading "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers" and "Children are never born in the wrong body".
The pair had called police themselves after being surrounded by what McLatchie Miller described as "violent, angry men" who were "particularly harassing me, trying to mess with the equipment, pushing me back, shouting in my face".
However, instead of addressing the aggressive crowd, officers arrested the activists and took them to separate police stations.
McLatchie Miller highlighted what she described as a 'two-tier system' in policing protests across Europe
GB NEWS
Speaking to GB News, McLatchie Miller highlighted what she described as a "two-tier system" in policing protests across Europe
"Had you been there protesting about the war in Gaza or as you said, climate change, and probably you could have got away with a very offensive message before the police would have taken any interest," she said.
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She added: "We do see this kind of two-tier system, not only here in the UK but across Europe when it comes to if we're promoting a message about protecting children, whether that's in the womb or from puberty blockers or any of the harms that are very present in our daily life that seem to be shut down."
"It is kind of a modern day twist on a kind of old school blasphemy law."
The incident began when the activists were conducting interviews in the Belgian capital whilst displaying their messages about children and medical transition.
"We have been getting incredibly harassed for about the last hour. We've remained perfectly calm as always, having conversations about what is the greatest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history," Elston said in a video recorded before their arrest.
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According to ADF International, the signs drew a crowd of onlookers, some of whom became aggressive.
"Chris and I were arrested for stating a simple truth in public: no child is born in the wrong body. I called the police because we were being surrounded and felt threatened," McLatchie Miller said in a different interview to Fox News.
"But instead of addressing the aggression of the mob, the police arrested us—two people standing peacefully with signs, open to conversation."
Police claimed the activists were holding an unauthorised demonstration, despite their insistence they were simply conducting interviews.
The pair were arrested whilst conducting interviews in the street
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"They claimed we were holding a demonstration, but as I explained several times, it was no demonstration. It would have been pretty pathetic if it was, with just two people," McLatchie Miller said.
Officers gave the pair an ultimatum at the scene, threatening criminal charges if they refused to leave.
According to ADF International's press release, the two were eventually arrested and taken to two separate police stations, where they were "ordered to remove their clothes and searched".
"We went to the station, we were handcuffed, and we were told at that point that we were arrested and would be charged with disturbing the peace," McLatchie Miller explained.
They were released several hours later without charges.
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