Ilaria Salis, accused of participating in violent attacks organised by an Antifa-linked gang, was handed a bouquet of flowers by her colleagues in the European Parliament after they voted—by a majority of just one vote—to maintain her immunity.
All being well for the notorious Italian leftist MEP, this means she will not go on trial in Hungary. Although reports are now suggesting that Budapest may take the European Parliament to court over the decision, and that it could be well placed to win if it does so. Attempts are also underway to have Salis prosecuted in Italy, as we reported on Tuesday.
Spanish MEP Adrián Vázquez Lázara, who is no friend of Viktor Orbán’s government, said the Hungarian prime minister could inflict “a major legal defeat in a few months” on the Parliament if he takes the decision to the European Court of Justice.
Lázara, who is rapporteur for the Legal Affairs Committee on the Salis case, described granting immunity to Salis as “a clear violation of the rule of law,” adding: “Orban must be opposed only by respecting the rules, not by violating them as he does.”
Orbán has himself criticised the vote as the latest example of Brussels protecting “its own,” saying:
The Brusselian bureaucrats like to lecture, but the pieces of their rule-of-law puzzle just don’t fit.
Brussels protects its own: Péter Magyar keeps his immunity, Ilaria Salis keeps hers. A politician facing criminal charges for insider trading and theft, along with a member of a terrorist group – both protected by Brussels. The Brusselian bureaucrats like to lecture, but the… pic.twitter.com/Xo2YeyzDHG
He has yet to comment on the possibility of taking Parliament to court.
Even EPP chief Manfred Weber said ahead of the vote that lawmakers should lift Salis’ immunity “because the crime was committed before she became a member of Parliament and the rules are crystal clear” that immunity only covers acts carried out during an MEP’s mandate. Clearly, many of his group’s members disagreed.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
