The right-wing EU Parliament group is seeking action against their left-wing counterparts over endorsement of student unrest in France, Politico has reported<\/p>\n
The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group has launched a motion to probe the European Left Alliance (ELA) over an alleged breach of \u201cEU values\u201d and support for student unrest gripping France, Politico has reported, citing an email it has obtained.
\nProtests have gripped the country for days and have spread to neighboring Belgium. Students are demanding increased funding for public schools and better learning conditions, including more teachers, smaller classes, and repairs to deteriorating buildings. In numerous locations, the protests turned violent, leading to the full closure of some 400 high schools and around 5,000 arrested, mostly teenagers.\u00a0
\nThe protests have been endorsed by the left-wing La France Insoumise (France Unbowed, LFI), which instructed its officials to step in to protect students from riot police yet urged demonstrators to stay nonviolent. The French prime minister\u2019s office, citing intelligence services, accused the party and \u201cits far-left proxies\u201d of organizing the violence altogether. The LFI has strongly denied allegations that it somehow initiated or orchestrated the violent unrest.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Violent student protests spread from France to Belgium (VIDEOS)<\/p>\n
The allegations have prompted the motion, which is led by the ECR vice chair Charlie Weimers, to investigate the ELA over the alleged actions of its member, the LFI, Politico reported on Tuesday. The potential probe could ultimately result in an effective ban of the left-wing bloc, namely its deregistration and the loss of EU funding. To put the process in motion, Weimers needs to get a minimum of 180 signatures from at least three political groups within the European Parliament by next Friday. If the initiative garners enough support, the outlet expects a vote during the plenary session on October 19.
\nThe ELA has condemned the looming action by the right-wingers, insisting it was not in breach of the bloc\u2019s values.\u00a0
\n\u201cThe ECR, whose own members regularly attack these very values, is abusing an EU procedure to try to avert attention from investigations of breaching EU values by the far- and extreme right,\u201d ELA Co-President Catarina Martins said, as quoted by Politico. \u201cStanding with young people asking for better education is not a breach of EU values,\u201d she added.\u00a0
\nIn France, former interior minister and the leader of the Republicans (LR) party, Bruno Retailleau, called for outlawing the LFI, branding it a \u201cseditious party\u201d that is \u201cfascinated by violence.\u201d The ban demand has been dismissed by LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon as \u201cridiculous\u201d and \u201cabsurd,\u201d with the politician mockingly suggesting that the proponents of the allegations against his party apparently been using \u201ctelepathy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The right-wing EU Parliament group is seeking action against their left-wing counterparts over endorsement of student unrest in France, Politico has reported The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t