Farage sanctioned after refusing to apologise for Van Rompuy insults

BRUSSELS - Nigel Farage, the parliamentary head of the eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip), has been sanctioned by the European Parliament after refusing to apologise for statements he made in plenary last week.

Following a speech by Herman Van Rompuy in the EU legislature, Mr Farage told the president of the European Council that he had "the charisma of a damp rag" and the appearance of a "low-grade bank clerk," visibly hurting the Belgian politician. He also called Belgium a "non-country."

In a meeting with parliament president Jerzy Buzek on Tuesday morning (2 March), Mr Farage refused Mr Buzek's request to apologise to Mr Van Rompuy, the European Parliament and the people of Belgium.

"The only people that I will apologise to are bank clerks the world over, if I've offended them I'm very sorry indeed," he told journalists after the meeting.

Late on Tuesday, Mr Buzek's office issued a statement saying the president had decided to deprive the British politician of 10 days of allowance, falling just short of €3,000. MEPs receive a daily allowance for attending parliamentary business.

"I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited [Mr Farage] to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member," said Mr Buzek.

Mr Farage had earlier indicated would "appeal" any decision against him taken by the parliament's authorities.

Belgium a \"non-country\"

The controversial MEP denied his plenary speech was intended to increase the media profile of the Ukip party ahead of the UK general elections next May, insisting he was standing up for greater democracy in the European Union and freedom of speech.

"I have merely expressed an opinion and in doing so, there is now actually a debate about who is Herman Van Rompuy, why is he being paid more than Barack Obama and just what powers has he got," he said.

While many agree that the mild mannered and poetry-loving Mr Van Rompuy does not cut the most dazzling figure on the European stage, the personal nature of the attack and follow-up comments about Belgium being "an artificial construction" drew widespread criticism.

Mr Farage defended his comments, saying they were mild compared to those made by current Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme. In 2006 Mr Leterme, then premier of Belgium's Flemish region, said the Belgian nation was an "accident of history" and that the only thing uniting the French and Dutch speaking populations was the king, football and beer.

Describing Mr Buzek as a "genuinely decent man," Mr Farage suggested the Polish parliamentary chief had now found himself in a difficult situation with "the big group leaders, screaming at him to do something," an analysis supported by a number of commentators.

Despite a colourful history of controversies, Mr Farage has only received a formal reprimand on one other occasion when he call Mr Van Rompuy and EU high representative Catherine Ashton "political pygmies" last November.