Row over Greek cartoons in EU Parliament

A cartoon exhibition has caused a row in the European Parliament: the British MEP Catherine Bearder blocked 12 of the 28 Greek caricatures submitted for an exhibition in Brussels on the grounds that they go against the EU's values. Other MEPs are protesting the decision. Greek newspapers are also incensed.

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News247 (GR) /

A painful look in the mirror

Of course the EU has no sense of humour, the web portal News 247 believes:

“Through humour the caricaturists have expressed the most bitter truths. And these fall on deaf ears in Brussels. The pattern is always the same: when a country, an organisation or a company is on a path to destruction, those who warn of the danger annoy those who bear responsibility for the mistakes. So the reaction of the Brussels bureaucrats to these cartoons that address the key problems of the EU is not surprising. ... The EU is once again looking in the mirror and it doesn't like what it sees. And its reaction is once again to break the mirror.”

Efimerida ton Syntakton (GR) /

An undemocratic decision

Diversity of opinion and controversy are being systematically repressed in the EU, Efimerida ton Syntakton criticises:

“This decision testifies once more to the undemocratic and centralised way in which the EU's institutions function. They act on the basis of personal expectations and rash judgements. But this behaviour is also part of a comprehensive plan that represses dissenting opinion and controversies using the pretext of political correctness. ... This decision which is tantamount to banning an exhibition can be interpreted as a display of power but also as the EU burying its head in the sand. These works will only become more famous as a result and be shown more often than if they were part of a normal exhibition.”