Far right group in the European Parliament implodes

5.20.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 14th Nov 2007

The far-right ITS group in the European Parliament has finally disintegrated following the resignation of four MEPs from the Party of Greater Romania after insulting comments by Alessandra Mussolini last week about Romanian people. As a political group needs a minimum of 20 MEPs from 6 nationalities the 19 remaining members of ITS are no longer sufficient to sustain it.

Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats commented:

"I always predicted a short life-span for this far right nationalist group. Sooner or later their inherent radical nationalism would force the European grouping to implode."

"Their basic philosophy, hiding behind the smokescreen of 'identity, tradition and sovereignty', is a distaste and distrust of foreigners which makes ITS a contradiction in terms. It was only a matter of time before this came to a head."

"They are a casualty of their own philosophy which paints all foreigners into a single mould and encourages xenophobic and racist comments and remarks which have no place in the European Union."

"However, the irony of a Mussolini destroying the coherence of a far right group will not be lost on Europeans from Bucharest to Brindisi."