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Brexit vote: Bitter exchanges as EU

parliament debates Brexit - BBC News

Image copyright AP
Image caption Speakers turned their fire on Nigel Farage, a key
campaigner for the Leave side of the British vote

There have been bitter exchanges in the European Parliament

during a debate on the British vote to leave the EU.
Much of the anger was aimed at leading Leave campaigner, UKIP's
Nigel Farage, who was at one point accused of using "Nazi
propaganda".
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is to meet European Union

6/28/2016 1:17 PM

Brexit vote: Bitter exchanges as EU parliament debates Brexit - BBC News

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leaders for the first time since the UK voted to leave later on
Tuesday.
He is stepping down to allow his successor to conduct exit
negotiations.
Opening the session at the European Parliament, European
Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker urged the UK to clarify its
position on Brexit as soon as possible.
He said he has imposed a ban on any EU commissioner talking to
the British government before it formalises its intention to withdraw
from the bloc.
Mr Cameron has said it will be up to the next prime minister when to
trigger the formal method by which a country leaves the EU, Article
50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
In his statement to the parliament, Mr Juncker said the will of the
British people must be respected, prompting applause from UK
Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, a key campaigner
behind the leave vote.
"You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of
the exit. Why are you here?" Mr Junker said to him.
Others went much further. Belgian ex-PM Guy Verhofstadt, and
leader of the liberal group in the European parliament, said Mr
Farage had used "Nazi propaganda" in the campaign, referring to a
poster showing lines of refugees.

6/28/2016 1:17 PM

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Media captionShouts greeted Jean-Claude Juncker as he said "I am not a

robot, I am not a bureaucrat"

In a veiled condemnation of Leave campaigner Boris Johnson, and

likely contender to be the next British Prime Minister, Mr Verhofstadt
attacked "the selfishness of one man prepared to do anything to
become the prime minister of the UK".
Manfred Weber, the chairman of the European People's Party
grouping, said: "The times of appeasement are over. We have to
stand up for our European project."
"Apologise to the British, shame on you," he told Mr Farage, adding:
"Stop this populist Brussels bashing."
Hitting back, Mr Farage told parliament that they were "in denial".
"We now offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the European
continent," he said. "The UK will not be the last member state to
leave the EU."
But in a speech to the German parliament, Chancellor Angela
Merkel said that the EU was strong enough to survive without the
UK.
She said she respected the result, but warned the bloc would not
tolerate British "cherry-picking" when it came to negotiations.

6/28/2016 1:17 PM