It’s a shocking image. After speaking in a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary on Wednesday, the Bulgarian MEP turned and gave the Nazi salute.
The politician is Angel Dzhamzki. He is part of the Eurosceptic Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). A video on Twitter shows the scandalous incident: As Dzhambazki walks up the stairs of the plenary hall, he turns on a step and stretches out his right arm in front of him.
“We will never allow you to tell us what to say and what to do,” the deputy from the nationalist Bulgarian party VMRO had previously said from the lectern in the plenary hall. “Long live Bulgaria, Hungary, Orban, Fidesz and the Europe of nation states.”
Fascist greeting is “unacceptable”
On Twitter, he also described the recent decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the rule of law mechanism as an “abomination”.
On Wednesday, the European Court of Justice dismissed the lawsuits filed by Poland and Hungary against the mechanism for reducing EU funds in the event of violations of the rule of law. The governments of Poland and Hungary have long been criticized for breaches of the rule of law.
EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola condemned Dzhambazki’s act on Twitter: “A fascist greeting in the European Parliament is unacceptable”. Dzhambazki insulted “everyone in Europe” with it. “This gesture is part of the darkest chapter of our history and must stay there.”
Sanctions are under review
The Vice-President of Parliament, Pina Picierno, who was leading the debate at the time of the incident, had previously stated that the institution would use the video recordings to check “whether or not there was a fascist salute”. If this is the case, sanctions would be taken.
The European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure state that MEPs must refrain from “any inappropriate behavior” and “any offensive language”. Violations of these rules can result in, among other things, a ban on participation in parliamentary activities or the cancellation of allowances.
The rule of law mechanism came into force at the beginning of last year, but had not yet been applied until the ECJ decision. Warsaw and Budapest opposed the mechanism and complained that they wanted the ECJ to annul it. However, this project has now failed: the Court of Justice ruled that the rule of law mechanism is compatible with the EU Treaty and falls within the EU’s area of responsibility.