The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has decided to bring in the consultative committee established by the Parliament's Code of Conduct to investigate the altercation that took place in Strasbourg on Thursday 6 October between two members of the British party UKIP, meeting in delegation. UKIP member Steven Woolfe, who was still in hospital on Friday 7 October, is reported to have come to blows with another member of the same party, but it was not until slightly later that he collapsed in the Parliament and was then taken to hospital.
According to several media sources, the incident was provoked by Woolfe's ambition to take the reins of the British Europhobes party, which remains without a leader since Diane James stepped down a month after taking up her duties.
Although the hospitalised MEP stated on Friday that he was in good health, the Schulz described the matter as extremely serious, adding that behaviour of this kind has no place in the institution and could constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct of the MEPs and the European Parliament's procedural rules. Once the matter has been brought to it, the consultative committee set in place by the Code of Conduct will take position on the case next week, as Schulz has asked it to do.
Rule 11 of the Parliament's procedural rules states that MEPs must show each other mutual respect and refrain from disturbing the activity and tranquillity of the European Parliament. A serious and proven breach of this rule can lead to sanctions from a reprimand to a suspension (from 2 to 10 days) of the per diem allowance or even a ban on taking part in the activities of the Parliament and being stripped of various positions of responsibility held by the MEP. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)