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Metsola receives flak from Austrian students over EP stance on Palestine
The EP President was asked about the EU’s reluctance to guarantee humanitarian aid for Palestinians, as the crowd of students later started chanting, “Free Palestine”
22 March 2024, 3:04pm
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
1 min read
Metsola is understood to have repeatedly stated that the institution which she leads is the only EU institution calling for a ceasefire in the region
European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola faced pro-Palestinian chants which disrupted a Q&A session at the University of Vienna.
On Wednesday, Metsola was invited by the university’s law faculty for the Q&A session, where students could ask her questions. According to PressTV, questions asked digitally regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict were deleted by the event’s moderators.
The EP President was asked about the EU’s reluctance to guarantee humanitarian aid for Palestinians, as the crowd of students later started chanting, “Free Palestine” and “Blood on your hands.”
Some of the students were reportedly escorted out of the hall after handing out leaflets to the rest of the crowd.
Metsola is understood to have repeatedly stated that the institution which she leads is the only EU institution calling for a ceasefire in the region.
Last November, Metsola met similar criticism locally after a group of MCAST students welcomed her with posters calling her an enabler of genocide.
On Friday, Metsola proposed the setting-up of an EU-led taskforce to “assess the socio-economic consequences” from the Red Sea retaliations of Houthi rebels in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.
Here, she said that, “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is desperate,” and that the EU must use all the tools at its disposal to ensure more aid.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Matthew Farrugia is a staff reporter at MaltaToday
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