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An unofficial after-party for a controversial right-wing conference has been cancelled at a London venue, following pressure from climate activists.
Omeara, a South London nightclub based in Southwark, had been due to host a party linked to the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference, but were met with protests from an online campaign by Fossil Free London.
The three-day ARC conference at London’s ExCeL centre featured speakers including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
The after-party raised the prospect of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch partying with Farage, Jordan Peterson, and billionaire Trump-backer Peter Thiel.
Badenoch addressed the conference on Monday (February 17th), telling attendees “Western civilisation is in crisis” and chastising Brits for not being proud of their country’s history. She echoed the language of Donald Trump and his backers, while warning of an imminent societal collapse which only the Conservatives could prevent.
On Wednesday, campaigners Fossil Free London learned that Omeara was set to host an unofficial after-party for the conference. In a viral post on Instagram, the group wrote: “Execs from some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel firms are attending Jordan Peterson’s ARC conference. They’re there to listen to speakers like the president of the Heritage Foundation – the group who created Project 2025, the plan for the second Trump term. Yep, they’re responsible for all of the horrors you’re seeing in the US.
“No surprise, then, that key figures from the Trump administration are speaking. Other guests include Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch, and representatives of BP and Equinor.”
The post added: “Sickeningly, they’re getting together for an ‘unofficial’ after party at the Southwark nightclub Omeara on Wednesday night (19/2) where DJs Danny Rampling and James O’Keefe are said to be showcasing ‘The new sounds and styles of an unstoppable subculture.’”
Opponents of the event called on Omeara to cancel the gathering. By 4pm on Wednesday, they were no longer hosting the event with organisers saying a new venue was “TBD”.
Every Friday, Omeara hosts an LGBT+ night, ‘Feel It’, which boasts of being a ‘Queer Super-Party’ with ‘3 Rooms of pleasure’. ARC founder Peterson has criticised Pride Month and stated: “I think the gay community was a hell of a lot better off when they were oppressed by the heterosexual monogamists than when they’re allied with the trans activists.”
Following the cancellation, the organisers, Sovereign House, which runs what has been described as “MAGA’s New York Clubhouse”, told attendees they would receive new venue details just one hour before the event was due to start, according to information obtained by Fossil Free London.
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ARC was founded in 2023 by Jordan Peterson, the controversial academic who has faced criticism for his views on social issues, including for claiming that women who don’t want sexual harassment in the workplace but who wear makeup are “hypocritical”.
Fossil Free London, which campaigns against the fossil fuel industry, said the cancellation showed that “climate deniers and advocates for a divisive politics of hate” were not welcome in the city.
Joanna Warrington, spokesperson for Fossil Free London, added: “Fossil Free London exists to make our city inhospitable to the fossil fuel industry and those that collude with it, and today, the power of movements and causes rapidly coming together – for our climate, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, for a free Palestine – shone through.”
The group shared a screenshot from Omeara’s Instagram account confirming that the event had been cancelled. An official spokesman for the venue told Byline Times: “Thanks for messaging, the planned event tonight has now been cancelled.”
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