The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has condemned the racist shouts and slogans by several MEPs after the approval of the new Return Directive, a regulation with which the European Union aims to strengthen the system for returning nationals of third countries who remain irregularly in Community territory.
The incidents occurred at the end of the vote held this Monday in the hemicycle of Strasbourg. During the session, several parliamentarians from far-right groups chanted xenophobic slogans and expressions that forced the presidency of the Chamber to intervene.
Metsola described what happened as "unacceptable" and warned that such behavior has no place in a democratic institution. The President of the European Parliament also announced that she will study the facts and adopt the disciplinary measures provided for in the Chamber's rules against those responsible.
The new Return Directive is part of the reform process of the European Union's migration policy and seeks to establish more effective procedures for the return of migrants in irregular situations, as well as harmonize the rules among Member States. Its processing has generated intense political debate, pitting the positions of those calling for greater border control against those warning about the need to preserve legal guarantees and fundamental rights of migrants.
Following the incidents, different political groups in the European Parliament expressed their rejection of the chants and called for the European Parliament to maintain a policy of zero tolerance towards any manifestation of racism or discrimination during parliamentary sessions.
With Metsola's announcement, the European Parliament now opens a process to clarify what happened and determine whether the MEPs involved violated the institution's code of conduct, which could lead to disciplinary sanctions.