Lega Nord faces Brussels backlash over Mohammed T-shirt
TERESA KÜCHLER
17.02.2006 @ 18:18 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - An Italian minister could see his party expelled from its political group in the European Parliament after he wore a T-shirt depicting one of the Danish Muslim cartoons.
The T-shirt, worn by the Italian reform minister and member of the Lega Nord, carries a print of the now infamous drawing of Islam's prophet Mohammed with a turban shaped like a bomb – one of the cartoons that is causing uproar among muslims worldwide.
Roberto Calderoli recently unbuttoned his shirt on state television to show he was wearing a T-shirt with a stencilled copy of the carricature.
"I want rights to be recognised and my T-shirt represents a battle for freedom," the minister said, according to Italian media.
The minister's statement has caused turmoil in the Independence/Democracy (IND/DEM) group in the European Parliament, to which the Lega Nord is affiliated.
The group is asking Lega Nord MEPs to leave, or else be expelled.
On Thursday (16 February) the group's bureau - with representatives for the national parties to the parliament group - met for a brief round of discussion on what to do next.
A formal vote among all group members is set for next Tuesday, with two third of votes needed to exclude the Italian party from IND/DEM.
According to the chairman of the group, Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde, the Lega Nord has been given the choice to leave the group voluntarily, following a clear hint from the majority of leaders from the national delegations that their Italian colleagues were no longer welcome.
Northern League under fire before
Dutch MEP Hans Blokland from Christen Unie party, on Friday (17 February) told Dutch media that the Lega Nord is "unpredictable and does not understand what politically they can do."
"This is only the latest of a long series of blunders making it obvious that the Northern League is not suitable for the IND/DEM group," Swedish MEP Nils Lundgren told EUobserver.
Mr Lundgren indicated that his political party, Swedish eurosceptics "Junilistan", have wanted to exclude the Northern League from the IND/DEM group since 2004.
According to Mr Lundgren, the Lega Nord has repeatedly invited speakers from far-right groups such as Italian fascist movements, the Belgian Vlaams Belang or Le Pen's Front National, to speak at conferences.
"But when criticised, they [MEPs of the Lega Nord] have always blamed the youth faction of their party, or private individuals for the invitations," he said.