MEPs' fury at Berlusconi's Nazi jibe
Agencies
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at the European parliament in Strasbourg. Photograph: AP
The controversial Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, today assumed the EU council presidency, and immediately provoked furious controversy saying a German MEP should take a film role as a Nazi concentration camp leader.
Mr Berlusconi was giving a speech inaugurating his country's six-month presidency of the EU to assembled MEPs, but his plans for Italy's tenure of the union were completely overshadowed by a comment made to a German socialist MEP, Martin Schulz, in the subsequent question-and-answer session. In response to a question from Mr Schulz alleging a conflict of interest between his political office and his extensive Italian media interests, Mr Berlusconi replied:
"Mr Schulz, I know there is in Italy a man producing a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I would like to suggest you for the role of leader. You'd be perfect."
MEPs responded to the jibe with jeers and shouts, thumping their desks in dismay and leaving the Strasbourg chamber in disarray for several moments.
Mr Berlusconi then refused to withdraw the remark when given the opportunity by Pat Cox, the parliament's president. Mr Cox expressed regret at the offence caused to Mr Schulz and said he believed it would be appropriate "to correct the record in this regard".
Mr Schultz responded by saying: "My respect for the victims of fascism will not permit me to deal with that kind of claim at all.
"It is very difficult for me to accept that a council president [Mr Berlusconi] should be exercising this office at all when he comes out with this kind of statement."
Mr Berlusconi then attempted to play down the incident, saying his remark had been "ironic" and accusing Mr Schulz of being offensive: "He was gesticulating and he used a tone of voice which is not acceptable in a parliament," he said.
During the debate after his speech, critical MEPs had repeatedly questioned the media mogul's ability to represent the EU, with the Green leader, Monica Frassoni, comparing him to Attila the Hun. Mr Berlusconi was apparently managing to maintain his cool, until snapping at the question from Mr Schultz.
Even as Mr Berlusconi rose to address the European parliament, seven Green MEPs protested, raising placards reading: "Everybody is equal under the law" - in reference to concerns that the Italian leader used his political influence to sidestep legal action over his business dealings.
Mr Berlusconi shrugged off the protest as he began his speech laying out the priorities of Italy's six-month presidency of the EU, promising to work to improve ties with the US following the Iraq war, and to involve Europe in the search for Middle East peace.
He pledged to press as EU president for the staging of a wider Middle East peace conference, offering Sicily as the venue, and again offered his support to the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
"Our presidency, along with the US, the Russian Federation and the UN, will work to support the road map so that we can work out a timetable and the means for the launching of an international peace conference," he said.
Mr Berlusconi also promised to use his tenure of the EU's rotating presidency to complete negotiations on a constitution for an expanded EU, improve trans-Atlantic relations, invest in EU-wide upgrades of transport networks and combat illegal immigration.
"The Italian presidency will do all in its power ... to take responsible decisions on our future," he told the 626-member assembly.
The Italian premier has been involved in a slew of legal investigations, including accusations he bribed a judge in the 1980s to sway a business deal in his favour.
The bribery trial was suspended on Monday - the day before Italy took over the EU presidency - after Mr Berlusconi's allies in parliament passed an immunity law that spared the premier from prosecution while in office.
Italy's richest man, Mr Berlusconi controls a $7.8bn (?4.7bn) media empire that includes the nation's largest private television broadcaster, Mediaset. Together with state-run RAI, he directly or indirectly controls about 90% of Italy's television market, leading critics to charge he has too much influence over information that he can use for his political and personal gain.
Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European parliament, condemned Mr Berlusconi's comments as words which "debase the presidency of the [EU] council and offend Europe".
to me.
And by the way, it's not because he's rich that left-wing people tend to dislike him, it's because he's a terrible leader who makes decisions in the interests of himself and other super-rich individuals.
