Far-right reps from France and the UK refuse to stand for Europe's anthem at opening of parilament.

[pampango]

Far right MEP: ‘A parliamentary group is on the horizon’

Marie-Christine Arnautu and her fellow National Front MEPs refused to stand for the European anthem at the opening of the new European Parliament (1 July). In an interview with EurActiv France, she explained why and stressed that a far right parliamentary group is on the horizon.


Plenary seesion opened with the unofficial European hymn, 1 July

Refusing to stand

Both of the EU election‘s big winners, UKIP and the National Front, stood out on the opening day of the European Parliament. Nigel Farage’s UKIP caused a stir when they turned their back on the orchestra playing the Europe’s unofficial hymen, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

Marine Le Pen’s followers stayed seated. Arnautu told EurActiv that Le Pen unofficially told her delegation not to stand before the plenary session began.

“I don’t think anyone from the delegation would have had the reflex to do anything else,” added the new MEP. She admits that the National Front is prone to causing “polemics”. Gilles Pargneaux, a French Socialist MEP, called the stunt “totally disrespectful.”

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/eu-elections-2014/far-right-mep-we-will-never-forget-negative-impact-eu-303311

In all fairness, the far-right does not believe in the EU or the European Parliament. I'm sure they were under pressure to be disrespectful to appeal to their base. Their base is similar to our republican base who want to destroy the government from within by getting the legislature to do nothing. Both our far-right and the European version want to get elected to the legislature in order to keep government from functioning or destroy it altogether.

[shenmue]

1. Right-wingers

suck, no matter where they come from.

[djean111]

2. Yes, the Far Right here and over there - awful. But I am giggling at this line -

the orchestra playing the Europe’s unofficial hymen, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

Terrible one-liners keep bubbling up.......

[russspeakeasy]

3. "unofficial hymen ?"

[Dawson Leery]

4. These thugs are the sovereign citizens of Europe.