Maverick MEP Korwin-Mikke shuns ''Je Suis Charlie'' gesture
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
13.01.2015 13:19
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, MEP and recently ousted leader of fringe Polish party the Congress of the New Right, brandished an unexpected slogan as MEPs observed a minute's silence in Strasbourg over last week's Paris attacks.
Photo: Twitter
While many MEPs held up cards saying ''Je Suis Charlie'' (''I am Charlie'') on Monday in solidarity with journalists shot by apparent Muslim extremists at the office of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, Korwin-Mikke beamed a different message from his laptop.
''I am not Charlie, I am for death penalty,'' the Polish MEP declared in a written statement.
Since the May 2014 elections to the European Parliament, Korwin-Mikke has caused some controversy among fellow MEPs, once referring to ''niggers'' in a speech about unemployment.
Last week, his former party dismissed him as leader following revelations that he recently fathered two children out of wedlock.
The 72-year-old has already announced plans to form a new party. He is also running for the Polish presidency in this year's elections, although an opinion poll has indicated he would only garner 3 percent of the vote. (nh)