Bulgarian MEP gives Nazi salute in European Parliament, sparks uproar

A Bulgarian nationalist MEP on Wednesday stirred a controversy after he gave a Nazi salute in the plenary chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Speaking during a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary, Angel Dzhambazki of the eurosceptic ECR group extended his right arm in front at the conference and gave the rebuked Nazi-era salute for a few seconds before he exited the podium. The video of the incident involving the Bulgarian lawmaker was circulated online, and his actions caused widespread angst among the Bulgarian nationalist VMRO Party lawmakers. 

The Bulgarian politician was attending the European Parliament debate on the European Court of Justice ruling about the EU budgetary benefits, conditional on rule of law. Hungary and Poland have been opposing the law mechanism and Dzambazki was delivering his stance in defence in his remarks. "Today's ruling of the ECJ is an abomination," Djambazki tweeted, as he also shared the footage of the debate.

"There is no sane person who thinks that Hungary or Poland have no functioning rule of law. Instead, you use it as a whip against the nation-states you despise. Long live the nation-states of Europe!” he added. Dzhambazki described the EU’s top court — the European Court of Justice’s ruling as an “abomination” on Twitter. 

EU parliament to launch a probe on Bulgarian lawmaker's conduct

As he walked out of the hemicycle, the term for the European Parliament plenum, the Bulgarian lawmaker saluted in a way that resembled a Nazi salute and was thoroughly questioned later. He was accused of gory misconduct. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has been preparing to launch proceedings to sanction Djambazki, Eractiv reported. He will be investigated for violating a rule as the European MEPs must conduct themselves appropriately, Metsola asserted. Poland and Hungary, have contested the EU court’s ruling that allows the blocking of funds to countries that it deems are in violations of the rule of law. 

As the debate concluded, the vice-president of the European Parliament, Italy’s Pina Picierno, who led the debate, stated that she would inspect the surveillance cameras at the hemicycle to establish the gesture made by the Bulgarian lawmaker. Picierno asserted that he would “check with the cameras to see if there was a fascist salute or not”. “We do not in any way allow fascist gestures and symbols. If this has been done, it is extremely serious and sanctions will be taken,” she warned according to Euractiv.

French government’s secretary of state for European affairs Clément Beaune, lambasted the Bulgarian lawmaker as he called the gesture “scandalous and outrageous” in a post on Twitter. Beaune stated that he was present as part of his country’s EU presidency and had witnessed the outrageous act on part of Bulgaria’s politician.  European Parliament president Roberta Metsola tweeted that “a fascist salute in the European Parliament is unacceptable to me — always and everywhere”. “It offends me and everyone else in Europe,” she added. “We stand for the opposite. We are the House of democracy. That gesture is from the darkest chapter of our history and must be left there.”