[General Council, May 26, 1868 — The Bee-Hive Newspaper. Nr. 346, 30. Mai 1868]

... Notice of motion was given that a resolution should be moved on Tuesday next to cancel the resolution of the last congress appointing Brussels as the place of meeting for the next congress, and that London be appointed instead. The Council considers it incompatible with the honour and dignity of the association to assemble a congress, surrounded, as it would be, by French spies, and in a country whose Government is capable of committing such wanton outrages as have been perpetrated against the half-starved miners of Charleroi. ...

[General Council, June 16, 1868 — The Bee-Hive Newspaper. Nr. 349, 20. Juni 1868]

... The mover of the resolutions then stated, that besides the foregoing assurances things had transpired since he had given notice which compelled the council to abstain from revoking the vote of the Lausanne Congress. The Belgian section had already taken action. M. Bara, the Minister of Justice, was reported to have said in the Chamber of Deputies, that he would not permit the Congress to assemble, in a remonstrance signed by all the members of the Brussels' committee and the executive of the Free Workmen—an affiliated political society of Vervier, the resident members of the association had declared that "in spite of all the vain rhodomontade of the Minister of Justice, the International Congress should be held at Brussels". The question, therefore, was strictly one of resistance of the Belgian working men against the police regulations of their government, with which the council had no right to interfere. He should, therefore, withdraw his resolutions; which met with general approval, several members declaring that only the altered state of the case had changed their opinion. ...