Scandal with a muzzle

Right-wing extremist Romanian thrown out of the EU Parliament

The controversial MEP Diana Iovanovici Sosoaca(Bild: APA/AFP/FREDERICK FLORIN)

Shortly before the vote on a second term of office for EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, things got heated in the EU Parliament. The far-right Romanian MEP Diana Iovanovici Sosoaca made several disruptive statements. Parliament President Roberta Metsola did not hesitate for long and had the lady thrown out of the plenary ...

The scenes in Strasbourg were truly exciting. Up to eight ushers surrounded MEP Sosoaca and talked at her. They tried to persuade her to follow the President's instructions. With an annoyed undertone, Metsola asked the MP: "How many colleagues need to come and escort you out of the room?" After a battle of words, she finally left the room.

Previously, the Romanian had repeatedly disrupted speeches with loud heckling, for which she was also muzzled. This was also the case when the liberal parliamentary group leader Valérie Hayer spoke in favor of abortion rights at the lectern. The right-wing extremist held up a picture of Jesus:

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Parliament President Metsola declared that this was the Romanian's third disruptive act and subsequently expelled her from the chamber.

Romanian Putin apologist
The non-attached MP Sosoaca regularly visits the Russian ambassador in Bucharest and, among other things, prevented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi from addressing the Romanian parliament during his visit to Bucharest in October 2023. The planned speech by the guest from Kiev was canceled because Sosoaca threatened to riot. Her party is a spin-off from the equally far-right AUR party, which is currently in the ECR parliamentary group.