EU Parliament chief outraged after far-right protests

The head of the European Parliament expressed his concern for the safety of MEPs after far-right protesters hanged their pictures on the gallows. “I will write to PM Beata Szydło to ensure the security of elected members of the European Parliament to express their opinions independently, without threat, and oppose those who spread hatred by exhibiting outrageous pictures of hanged politicians,” Antonio Tajani wrote on Twitter. The MEPs whose images were hanged voted for a European Parliament resolution demanding EU member states to launch Article 7 procedures against Poland for infringing the rule of law. The protests were held in Katowice and were attended by several dozen people. “One has to condemn what happened in Katowice,” Szydło responded, and added that all MEPs are safe in Poland. She also said that Tajani should take actions regarding “those MEPs who insult and slander Poland in the European Parliament.” Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said that he “doesn’t like” what happened, but he also blamed the opposition, saying that their “aggressive” protests fuel this kind of behavior. “An action triggers a reaction.”