A UK MEP has explained why he held up a sign that said ‘He’s lying to you’ behind Nigel Farage as he spoke yesterday in the European parliament.
Labour MEP for London Seb Dance was caught on camera holding up the handwritten message behind Farage as he spoke, until a clerk told him to stop.
Dance later explained in a blog post why he had held the sign up behind Farage.
“Mainstream politics must be more willing to challenge the nationalists and the populists,” said Dance.
He said that Farage was given a lot of coverage in the European parliament as a result of him being leader of the officially recognised EFDD grouping.
“Ukip often use these clips in isolation on social media,” he said.
“When debates are time-limited it is impossible to challenge what he’s saying.
So I protested in the only way I knew how at that point, which was to grab a piece of paper, write a very simple message on it and sit behind Nigel Farage during his usual diatribe.
Farage’s fellow Ukip MEP Bill Etheridge issued a formal complaint following the incident.
According to the Telegraph, Etheridge said that Dance had held up a sign with a “defamatory personal remark” on it.
“The officials failed to remove him until the end of the speech and when I raised the matter it was not treated with sufficient seriousness by the acting chair.
I would like you to rule on this matter please sir.
Farage was speaking in the parliament on US president Donald Trump’s ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries.
He caused outrage when he said that Trump was merely trying to protect his country from terrorists.
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