Dramatic scenes were seen at the European Parliament when lawmakers refused to hold a moment of silence in honour of Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at Utah Valley University.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah among a crowd of about 3,000 people.
Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, from the European Conservatives and Reformists group, proposed in front of the chamber to pause the proceedings to "declare that our right to freedom of speech cannot be extinguished", as per a report by Euro News.
The proposal was supported by lawmakers from Germany's AfD and France's Identity Liberties movement.
However, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola rejected the proposal. Charlie Weimers requested a moment of silence even after his request was denied.
When Charlie Weimers sought time to speak on the microphone about the deceased Turning Point USA co-founder, the house reacted with uproar and began banging their desks and shouting in protest. In response Katarina Barley from the S&D group said, “Mr. Weimers, we discussed this, and you know that the president has denied the request for a minute of silence," POLITICO reported.
A spokesperson for the Parliament president informed the publication, “Minutes of silence are announced by the president at the opening of the plenary.” Meanwhile, the opening of the plenary took place on September 8.
The spokesperson further noted, “If there is a request for a minute of silence, the request must come from a political group to be held at the opening of the session. if there is a request it can of course be done in October.”
Who was Charlie Kirk?
The CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk was MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporter and a prominent ally of US President Donald Trump.
He died on Wednesday, September 10, after he sustained a gunshot wound on the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University. The 31-year-old conservative activist known for his controversial statements was married to former beauty queen Erika Frantzve and is survived by his wife and their two young children.
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