You're reading: European Parliament once again says it can’t understand opposition’s cooperation with ‘anti-Semitic’ Svoboda party

Brussels -The European Parliament has said it does not understand why opposition parliamentary factions Batkivschyna and UDAR cooperate with the Svoboda all-Ukrainian union, which the EP accuses of having anti-Semitic views.

 MEP Marek Siwiec (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Poland) said this during the sitting of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee in Brussels on Monday.

“For me this party is the worst phenomenon, which presents an anti-Semitic position, and fights against gays and lesbians. They do this openly,” the MEP said, referring to Svoboda.

“I saw a photo of the Svoboda leader, Yatseniuk [Arseniy Yatseniuk, one of Batkivschyna leaders] and Klitschko [Vitali Klitschko, UDAR party leader] together demonstrating the unity of opposition. But I can’t imagine that people like Klitschko, who position themselves as Europeans, and Yatseniuk, would willingly shake the hand of a person who in public states that Jews are the main threat to European civilization. Sometimes, while looking for and respecting opposition, we can’t recognize it,” Siwiec said.

The European Parliament has condemned Svoboda before. Earlier, a similar statement was made by MEP Kristian Vigenin, who according to the reports by MEPs, could soon head the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

As reported, leader of the Svoboda parliamentary faction, Oleh Tiahnybok, has denied the existence of anti-Semitism in his party.

“I have repeatedly said that Svoboda is not an anti-Semitic organization. If you have any comments on our views, go to court. But nobody will, because everyone understands that even biased Ukrainian courts cannot pass any sentence against Svoboda, because we do not violate Ukrainian laws,” Tiahnybok said.