OII Europe has joined forces with a coalition of civil society organisations to send an open letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The open letter expresses deep concern about discriminatory rhetoric displayed during the Parliament’s plenary session on 17 June 2026.
Following the vote on the proposed “Return Regulation”, several Members of the European Parliament applauded the outcome while chanting “send them back”. Such conduct undermines the dignity of the European Parliament, fuels discrimination, and risks normalising hateful rhetoric within one of the European Union’s most important democratic institutions.
Since the beginning of the current parliamentary term, some Members have made a growing number of misogynist, sexist, racist, antisemitic and LGBTI-phobic statements in parliamentary proceedings. The European Parliament’s Code of Conduct requires Members of the Parliament to uphold integrity, respect, and Parliament’s dignity and reputation. We call on President Metsola to take immediate action to ensure that this is being upheld.
The coalition calls on President Metsola to:
- Make a public statement at the opening of the next plenary session reaffirming respect for human dignity, human rights and the Parliament’s rules of conduct.
- Clarify what measures will be taken to ensure that those chairing plenary and committee proceedings have the guidance, institutional support and procedural knowledge needed to respond consistently to discriminatory conduct.
The full letter has been addressed to President Metsola and is signed by a broad coalition of civil society organisations committed to protecting human rights and democratic values across Europe.
