Dear Editor,
Christopher Booker's article (6 January) supporting those MEPs who
attempted to shout down the Portuguese Prime Minister at a ceremony in
the European Parliament is ill informed.
Moderate visual "demonstrations", like wearing T-shirts with slogans or
waving a small banner, are tolerated in the European Parliament, unlike
in most national parliaments. What is forbidden is attempting to
disrupt proceedings or shouting down a speaker.
Such behaviour, although rare in the European Parliament, is not
actually "unprecedented" - but when it happens the TV cameras remain
trained on the speaker - just as is the rule in the House of Commons.
To describe this as "censorship" is preposterous - on the contrary, to
have switched the cameras to the demonstrators would have been giving
in to an attempt by a small hooligan element to censure the speakers.
Yours,
Richard Corbett
Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
Blenheim Terrace, Leeds
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