Polish MEP fined for saying women should be paid less

pulse

March 14, 2017 3:26 PM

Korwin-Mikke has previously been punished by the EU assembly for making racist comments and remarks about the Holocaust.

Janusz Korwin-Mikke has previously courted controversy by calling refugees "human garbage" and using a racist term to refer to black Americans

The European Parliament sanctioned a Polish extreme-right MEP on Tuesday after he said women should be paid less because they are weaker and less intelligent than men.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said Janusz Korwin-Mikke, 74, had received an "unprecedented" sanction, including the forfeit of his daily MEP allowance for thirty days, totalling 9,210 euros ($9,800).

"I will not tolerate such behaviour, in particular when it comes from someone who is expected to discharge his duties as a representative of the peoples of Europe with due dignity," Tajani said in a statement.

Korwin-Mikke was also suspended from parliamentary activities for ten days and will be prohibited from representing the parliament for one year.

Tajani launched an inquiry following a bitter exchange in the chamber earlier this month in which the bowtie-wearing, moustachioed Korwin-Mikke interrupted female Spanish MEP, Iratxe Garcia-Perez.

"Of course women must earn less than men, because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent, they must earn less, that's all," Korwin-Mikke told parliament.

He then added: "Do you know how many women are in the first 100 of chess players. I tell you: no one."

Garcia Perez then shot back: "According to what you are saying... I would not have the right to be here.

"I think I have to defend European women to men like you."

Korwin-Mikke has previously courted controversy by claiming Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was "not aware of the extermination of the Jews", calling refugees "human garbage" and using a racist term to refer to black Americans.

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