A UKRANIAN politician received applause from unwitting MSPs yesterday, who were unaware that he had founded a fascist party styled on the Nazis.
Holyrood welcomed the chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, Andriy Parubiy, during First Minister's Questions yesterday as he watched the debate from the gallery.
Parubiy co-founded the Social-National Party of Ukraine, a right-wing party that only accepted ethnic Ukrainians as members and which used the Wolfsangel symbol as its logo.
He later went on to found the right-wing People's Front.
Scottish Labour's Neil Findlay is now asking why MSPs were asked by the Presiding Officer to welcome a “racist, fascist Nazi” without knowing who he was.
Findlay is calling for better vetting procedures as a result.
Speaking to Presiding Officer Ken MacIntosh, he stated: “Members do not know who they are being asked to acknowledge in this parliament.”
He added: “Andriy Parubiy clearly holds despicable political views and it is unacceptable that MSPs were urged to applaud his presence in the Scottish Parliament.
“People holding fascistic views and with contempt for democracy should not be lauded by the Presiding Officer or anyone else.
“We need an urgent review of how and why Mr Parubiy was invited to the Scottish Parliament, and by whom. We must quickly establish a mechanism to ensure this never happens again in the future.”
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “The Presiding Officer’s role is to welcome speakers, heads of government, elected parliamentarians and ambassadors on the Parliament’s behalf. Members are informed in advance of the visits of speakers representing other legislatures.”
Parubiy was also welcomed in Westminster earlier this week as he tours France and the UK.
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