The controversial Bulgarian nationalist MEP Angel Dzhambazki has sparked outrage on Wednesday after giving a Nazi salute in the plenary chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg following his address during a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary.
Dzhambazki of the eurosceptic ECR group can be seen on a video of the debate going up the steps that lead to the exit of the hemicycle, turning around and extending his right arm in front of him for a few seconds before leaving.
Seconds before the abominable act, the representative of the Bulgarian nationalist party VMRO stressed that they’ll never allow for the EU to tell them what to say and do, praising Bulgaria, Hungary, Orbán, Fidesz and, as he said, the Europe of nation-states.
Previously, Dzhambazki described on Twitter as an abomination Wednesday’s decision by the European Court of Justice – EU’s top court – to validate a mechanism that allows blocking of funds to countries where there are violations of the rule of law, which was previously contested by both Poland and Hungary.
Italy’s Pina Picierno, the vice-president of the EP who led the debate, said that the institution would check the video of what happened on the stairs to establish if there was a fascist salute or not, warning that if it was the case, it is extremely serious and sanctions will be taken since they do not, in any way, allow fascist gestures and symbols.
Clément Beaune, the French government’s secretary of state for European affairs called Dzhambazki’s gesture scandalous and outrageous on Twitter, while the EP president Roberta Metsola tweeted that a fascist salute in the European Parliament is unacceptable to her, and it offends her and everyone else in Europe.
Metsola pointed out that his gesture is from the darkest chapter of history and must be left there, not demonstrated in the House of democracy that stands for the opposite.
This is not the first outrageous outbursts of Dzhambazki – who is notorious for his outrageous behavior both in the EP and in Bulgaria – who he had to apologize in 2019 after making xenophobic remarks during a parliamentary debate.
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