A hard right wing European MEP has been reprimanded after brandishing a noose in front of the European Central Bank President.
Angelo Ciocca was reprimanded by the European Parliament last night for holding up the rope in front of Christine Lagarde back in February.
The Italian MEP was protesting against EU monetary policy when he made the stunt.
Ciocca was also fined €1,050 and banned from participating in this week’s plenary after he blew a whistle and issued a red card, football-style, disrupting a voting session last month.
President Roberta Metsola announced the sanctions in Strasbourg on Monday.
It is not the first time Ciocca has been sanctioned, as he was cautioned in 2019 for hurling chocolates during a debate on Turkish military operations in Syria.
Ciocca waved a box of chocolates around that Turkish officials had distributed around to MEPs, in order to build up goodwill with them, and then he stormed to the centre of the room to throw the chocolates on the ground.
He was barred from parliamentary activities (except votes) for five days and lost his allowance money for 10 days (up to €3,240).
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Hard right Italian MEP Angelo Ciocca
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Ciocca accused Europe of transforming itself from a friend to a major enemy of Italians, imposing policies that would triple mortgage payments and impose taxes on homes.
According to Ciocca, this suspension represents an "attempt to silence" his criticism of European policies which, in his opinion, harm Italian families and businesses.
He said: "A form of blackmail with which they hope to silence me for having done what Italians ask of me after voting for me: to defend their interests from these criminal policies.
"The letters of suspension read that my behaviour, according to them, would have damaged the image, reputation and dignity of the Parliament and the European Central Bank.
He added: "But here the only ones who have been harmed are families and businesses who in recent years have seen their mortgage payments triple while Euro-bureaucrats forced them to pay taxes on their homes while pretending to care about the environment.
"The mutual respect that is so much talked about in my suspension is asked by the Italians of this Europe which has transformed from a friend into their main enemy."
