KU Leuven bans lecture by far-right Austrian Martin Sellner

KU Leuven will not allow a lecture by Martin Sellner, leader of the Austrian nationalist movement Identitären Bewegung Österreich, to take place on its premises, De Morgen reports.

The lecture, organised by the Nationalist Student Association (NSV) in Leuven, was to take place on 19 April in an auditorium at the university's Leo XIII Pedagogical Institute. Sellner was due to talk about “the identitarian struggle and her future”.

The university says it “values freedom of expression” but, after consulting with the city council, decided not to permit the event for security reasons. “In exceptional cases, KU Leuven can and will decide in advance not to allow an event to take place,” it said in a statement. “Martin Sellner was previously denied entry to the UK on security grounds.” The NSV says it is looking for a new venue.

Sellner gained worldwide attention in 2019 when it was discovered that his movement had received a financial donation from the perpetrator of the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.

^{Martin Sellner pictured at a demonstration in Vienna in 2019 © PHOTO APAPICTUREDESK}