EU parliament president condemns assault on MEP

An attack on Irish MEP Proinsias De Rossa by opponents of the Lisbon treaty has been condemned by parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering.

De Rossa was beaten up after a public meeting to discuss the treaty in Dublin on Monday.

The 67-year-old former government minister was involved in a fracas with a group of up to five people after the meeting to discuss the upcoming referendum.

It is understood the group included opponents of the treaty who tackled De Rossa and followed on the street before the incident. Some of the group had been inside the meeting, which had been organised by the Labour party.
 
De Rossa, an MEP since 1999, was badly shaken and receieved minor cuts to his hand.

The deputy, a well known figure in Ireland who was a government minister in the 1990s, was in Brussels on Tuesday this week but returned to Ireland the following day. He was unavailable for comment but his assistant in Brussels told this website that he was “badly shaken” by what was an unprovoked attack but was expected to be in Strasbourg for next week’s plenary.

Parliament’s president Hans-Gert Pöttering strongly condemned the assault, saying, "The knocking to the ground and assault of Mr De Rossa is an attack on freedom of speech and the right and duty of elected parliamentarians to present their views in public.

“During my visit to Dublin last week, I appealed before the Irish Senate for a calm and reasoned debate during the treaty referendum campaign. This thuggish attack on an Irish MEP should be denounced by all self-respecting democrats.  

“Everybody has the right to freely express his or her views. In the context of the Irish Referendum campaign, both sides of the argument need to be heard and the Irish public will make up its mind.

“Attacks like this one are an attack on the fundamental values of the EU which are enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty - values such as democracy, tolerance and freedom of speech."

Irish Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore also condemned what he called "anti-democratic tactics" employed by the group who are opposed to the treaty.

“One of the group shouted abuse at him through a loud-hailer,” he said.

“When he objected to being filmed by one of the group with a camcorder he was knocked to the ground and some of those involved sat on his back pinning him to the ground. “

“He was very badly shaken up. It was the first time in his political career he had been assaulted.”

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