A Look at Europe’s ‘Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty’ Group
Here’s a look at the European Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty group, a who’s who of the White Nationalist movement in Europe.
“Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty” (ITS) is a group in the European Parliament formed on January 15, 2007 by members who share xenophobic, racist and anti-Semitic views. The grouping brings together 20 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from seven countries — meeting the minimum number of members required to establish a bloc under the Parliament’s rules.
The group includes members of notorious far-right extremist parties and well-known anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers from across Europe. One of its most prominent members, Bruno Gollnisch of France, was convicted of Holocaust denial by a French court in January 2007. Like all groupings in the European Parliament, ITS is entitled to about 1 million Euros for staff and administrative costs. The group may also claim greater speaking rights and committee representation.
The group was formed after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union on January 1. As a result of the accession of these countries, there were enough far-right MEPs in the European Parliament to allow the creation of ITS. It is one of eight multinational political groups in the European Parliament. Christian Democrats, Socialists and Greens are among the other groups. ITS currently has the smallest number of affiliated MEPs, but there are concerns that its influence will spread and that the group will grow.
The group’s formation was a sobering reminder that bigoted, racist and anti-Semitic political movements are not only still part of the landscape in Europe, but are willing to unify under one banner if given the chance.
The following is a Who’s Who of the “Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty” group (by country)…
Read the whole thing… and pay particular attention to the section on Belgium.