A Swedish MEP was “harassed by an aggressive political staffer” in the European Parliament on Wednesday because of her views on the Israel-Hamas war, her colleague has reported.
Christian Democrats (KD) official Alice Teodorescu Måwe was “confronted without provocation and subjected to threatening accusations” while walking to a meeting and—according to fellow KD Liza-Maria Norlin—has been left “in shock that something like this could happen in a democratic institution.”
When you serve as an elected representative, you must be able to feel safe in carrying out the mandate you have received from the people. Attacking a politician harms our democracy and is completely unacceptable.
The staffer, a pro-Palestinian Swede of Middle Eastern descent who works for former Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt in Brussels, claims that she was “physically attacked.” But a Parliament spokesman toldEuractiv that an initial assessment “confirms the MEP’s version of events.”
Teodorescu Måwe is well known for her pro-Israel views, even suggesting last October that recognising Israel’s right to exist should be a prerequisite for Swedish citizenship. Following Europe’s latest punishment of Israel’s widening offensive in Gaza this week, the Swedish MEP also stressed that it is the Hamas “barbarians you should pressure,” instead.
Responding to the event, KD MP Camilla Rinaldo Miller said she was becoming “deeply saddened and worried about who should dare to engage politically,” given such treatment by political opponents. This seems to be especially true with regard to Israel’s fight against Hamas.
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_.
