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Europe In Action
On December 12th, members of the European Parliament gathered in Strasbourg to celebrate the signing of the "Charter of Fundamental Rights." A small group of Eurosceptic MEPs decided to use this orgy of self-congratulation to make a point about the European Reform Treaty, which had just been signed by heads of government.
They protested that the Treaty was merely a rehash of the EU Constitution, which had been rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Governments had refused voters a say on the revised Treaty. Protesters held banners calling for a referendum and chanted slogans as the vast majority of MEPs applauded the Treaty's signing.
Here's a video of the protest:
Just days after this video was posted on YouTube, it was mysteriously removed.
Why should this be? Here's Baron Bodissey of the Gates of Vienna Blog:
"As anyone who watched it can attest, there was no sex, no nudity, no violence, no “hate speech”, and no copyright violations (except maybe for the music used in the soundtrack, and that’s a stretch) in the EU Parliament video. It was simply a recording of peaceful protesters chanting in unison against the creation of the EU superstate, and demanding a national referendum for the countries involved.
"The video violates none of YouTube’s policies, yet it was removed.
"The nature of the game is now clear: YouTube, like so many other online services, is a tool of the Powers That Be."
After the protest, British newspapers complained that the (largely British) contingent of MEPs had "shamed" the country with their "football hooligan" style antics. Dan Hannan, MEP, who was among the protestors, said that the EU Parliament's television feed had been cut when stewards were sent out to remove the banners and halt the protest.
It is clear from the video that the protest was well-mannered, if slightly jarring in the cosy atmosphere of the Parliament. It is also evident that the protestors are no thugs: Indeed, if you are looking for hoodlum behaviour, look no further than the actions of a certain Spanish MEP, who appears to wrestle a camera from the woman filming the protest.
It's hugely ironic that this protest, and the suppression of dissent which followed, took place following the signing of the "Charter of Fundamental Rights."
Is this the new face of European democracy: Stifling protest, manhandling protestors, suppressing compromising evidence?
