European Parliament erupts after chair refuses moment of silence for Charlie Kirk
The European Parliament dissolved into chaos on Thursday after the session’s Left-wing chairwoman, Katarina Barley, refused to allow a moment of silence for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Parliament had opened its plenary session in June 2020 with a moment of silence for George Floyd.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck on September 10th while peacefully debating college students at Utah Valley University. The suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed. Leftists worldwide have been openly celebrating Kirk’s death.
Following the murder, conservative Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers emailed European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to propose a moment of silence in Kirk’s honor. Metsola’s office denied the request, claiming that a moment of silence is only allowed at the opening of a plenary session, which had already taken place on Monday.
Instead, Weimers was allowed to make a point of order before the session on Thursday, during which he urged Parliament to “strongly condemn political violence and rhetoric that incites violence” and asked his colleagues to “please stand with me in a reflection of prayer in his honor.” Weimers yielded the remaining minute of his time for a silent tribute to Kirk.
But as he and the other conservative MEPs stood for a moment of silence, Barley, who belongs to the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, immediately shut it down.
“We have discussed this, and you know the president said no to a minute of silence,” she said, according to a translation provided by Remix News.
The Right-wing parliamentarians began banging on their desks and shouting, drowning Barley out. “Have some respect!” a man shouted, while several cries of “shame on you!” were heard. In one video of the incident, a man could be heard shouting, “F*cking Leftist!”
‘Incapable of showing human compassion’
Weimers later wrote on X: “How does holding a minute of silence for George Floyd but denying one for Charlie Kirk make sense?”
Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński also lashed out, writing: “As conservatives, we requested a minute of silence in the European Parliament to honor Charlie Kirk. The left, calling themselves democrats, naturally refused. They are the same everywhere… Even in the face of death, they are incapable of showing human compassion. Therefore, I will organize an exhibition in the European Parliament commemorating Charlie Kirk. His legacy will bear fruit.”
