Brexit Party MEP mocked for appearing to claim that EU parliament voting machines are rigged
Lance Forman, the Brexit Party's new MEP for London. Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire/PA Images - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
A Brexit Party MEP has tweeted a video of himself trying to use EU Parliament voting machines and appearing to claim that they are rigged.
The video tweeted by Lance Forman, the Brexit Party MEP for London, shows him attempting to press the 'no' button on a voting machine.
"This is the voting method at the EU parliament," he said in the tweet. "Just practicing voting 'No'. From what I am finding it seems that legislation proposed by the unelected commission always passes. Have only been here a day, but it's very clear, there is no democracy here."
However, comedian Cyrus Bales pointed to an image tweeted by Green MEP Sven Giegold in 2018, showing the machine in use - with an ID card activating it.
"He is suggesting ... the voting machines in the EU parliament don't record 'no' votes," said Bales.
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The misunderstanding doesn't seem to have put off Forman's followers, however.
At time of writing, his tweet has been retweeted more than 1,100 times and liked more than 2,400 times.
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Other Twitter users mocked the MEP for the video.
"There is no democracy here, as you can tell by me demonstrating this voting machine," said Twitter user @Socialistdawn.
Forman responded by saying that he did not set out to claim that the machines were rigged, and that he was making a broader point about what he describes as "the democratic deficit in the EU", adding that this had "nothing to do with the voting machine whatsoever".
It was busy day in claims about the EU for the MEP.
Earlier, he said that elected officials in Brussels get a taxpayer-funded "nice fleet of Mercs" while in Brussels, tweeting a picture of a Skoda to back it up.
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