Bulgarian nationalist Angel Djambazki denies the gesture, saying he simply waved. Criminal proceedings have been initiated.
With a gesture widely considered Hitler salute was understood, a right-wing Bulgarian MP in the EU Parliament caused outrage. “A Hitler salute in the European Parliament is completely unacceptable for me – always and everywhere,” said a statement by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, which was read in plenary on Thursday morning.
Video of Wednesday’s incident shows MP Angel Dzhambazki turning towards the seats and raising his outstretched right arm as he exits the lectern. Previously, the parliamentarian is said to have said: “We will never allow you to tell us what to say and what to do.” And finally: “Long live Bulgaria, Hungary, Orbán, Fidesz and the Europe of nation states.” A spokesman for Metsola said sanctions proceedings would be initiated immediately.
“Innocent Wave”
Dzhambazki himself denies that this is one Hitler salute acted. In a letter to the MPs, which was available to the dpa news agency, he described the gesture as an “innocent wave” with which he wanted to apologize for provocative statements in his speech. He was shocked by the allegations, which he described as defamation. The Group of European Conservatives and Reformists, to which Djambazki belongs, takes the incident very seriously, a spokesman said.
The scene happened during a debate on the European Court of Justice’s ruling on the so-called rule of law mechanism, which allows EU member states to cut funding if rule of law problems threaten abuse. Dzhambazki said in the debate that the matter is not at all about law, but about the hatred of many in the EU Parliament against states and nations. He will never allow “you to tell us how to act and what we are allowed to say”. Shortly thereafter, he made the gesture.
The head of the Greens delegation, Monika Vana, called the deputy’s behavior unacceptable. There is “only one consequence for this: his resignation. I call for a zero-tolerance policy towards any expression of fascism and National Socialism in the European Parliament.”
The leader of the Christian Democrats in the EU Parliament, Manfred Weber, wrote on Twitter that his group condemned the incident and called for immediate punishment. “It’s the opposite of what the European Parliament stands for.” According to the rules of procedure of the EU Parliament, sanctions can include a reprimand, a temporary loss of daily allowance or a temporary suspension from parliamentary activities.
(APA/dpa)