WATCH: EU MP’s pigeon release in Parliament sparks debate on peace and animal welfare
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EU MP releases dove in Parliament calling for peace. (screen grab)
French Greens MEP Caroline Ruiz raised a point of order after Radakovsky pointed out
An EU lawmaker released a dove into Parliament’s debate chamber on Wednesday in what he described as a call for peace in Europe and the world.
Miroslav Radakovsky, an MEP from the ‘Slovak Patriot’ party, which he also leads, carried the pigeon, hiding it in a small bag under his suit jacket. “Europe needs peace,” Radakovsky said in Slovak and English after releasing the dove.
‘Let this dove fly’
“Let’s let this dove fly over all of Europe. Let this dove unite us all. This dove, a symbol of peace, should make us realize that what we really need most is peace.” The Slovak MEP’s message caused confusion when she released the dove in the EU Chamber. According to deutsche welle (DW) MPs were surprised and disappointed at this move.
Parliament Deputy Speaker Jan-Christoph Oetjen said the stunt would be reported to the chamber’s president. After Radakovsky pointed out, French Greens MEP Caroline Rouget raised a point of order and said that Radakovsky had used live. animals to make a political point in defiance of the rules of Parliament. “Where is animal welfare in this speaker’s view? I find this absolutely unacceptable,” Ruiz said.
Social media users were divided on this stunt. “I would say it was a desperate attempt to draw attention to an urgent issue that no one cares about anymore, but instead of paying attention to the urgency of it and appreciating him for this courageous stunt, everyone was quick to condemn him. And busy portraying your war-mongering feelings by supposedly taking care of that bird (which was not harmed) then maybe think about how they feel in battlefields. “This should be your priority,” one user said on Instagram. “Imagine being more concerned about a bird that has died.”
(with agency input)
