Tony Gilland
external affairs director, Freedom & Sovereignty Initiative Europe; associate fellow, Academy of Ideas

Tony is external affairs director of the Freedom & Sovereignty Initiative Europe (FSI Europe), a new Brussels based think tank established to provide a political counterweight to the EU and European political establishment. Previously he was the chief of staff at MCC Brussels, described by Politico as ‘the EU’s most prominent right-wing think tank’.

Tony is an ardent defender of free speech and played a key role in successfully defending the NatCon Brussels 2024 conference against attempts by Antifa and three Brussels’ mayors to have it shut down. His work in Brussels is informed by his extensive experience of promoting debate and free speech whilst working at the Academy of Ideas from its inception to early 2014.

Before working in Brussels, Tony was a teacher and manager in the UK Further Education sector in Kent. He believes in an academically rigorous approach to education that takes young people’s capabilities seriously. Tony is an associate fellow of the Academy of Ideas and holds a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford.

Follow Tony on X: @tonygilland

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