In her debut remarks about the European Parliament (EP), Confederation party MEP Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik expressed shock at what she described as a “temple of demoralization,” claiming that MEPs are provided with nearly everything they could need. Zajączkowska-Hernik shared these initial impressions on Polsat News TV, after attending her first sessions in Strasbourg.
“The scale of operations was a bit shocking,” admitted the newly minted MEP. “It seems to be a sort of temple of demoralization, where MEPs are given everything to ensure they don’t start getting ideas or criticize what’s happening,” she said.
MEPs are known not only for earning high salaries, but also receive pay for travel expenses, bonuses just for voting, a large pool of money for staffing, a daily allowance, and the famed “golden parachute” for when they leave office.
Zajączkowska-Hernik recently made a name for herself in a speech directed at von der Leyen, where she criticized her role in promoting open borders in Poland and told her she should be “in prison.”
Now, Zajączkowska-Hernik is stepping up her criticism of other elements of the EU, using her first voting experience in Strasbourg on a resolution regarding aid for Ukraine as a starting point.
“Some of the voting was by name and some required a show of hands. I don’t know on what basis the chairperson of the EP concluded that something had passed because not everyone managed to raise their hand in time. It seems that the voting was merely a formality, given the majority in the parliament,” she remarked, calling the procedure a “scandal” if that’s how laws are passed.
The special benefits MEPs enjoy are not only being pointed out by the right. Cypriot MEP Fidias Panagiotou shed light on the extremely high salary he takes in as an MEP in a video that was spread across social media.
During her interview on Polsat News, Zajączkowska-Hernik also discussed her first speech in the European Parliament, where she harshly criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stating that von der Leyen’s place is in prison.
“The words I spoke to her face are words, judging by the response, that many people would say to her — not just Poles, but Europeans,” she stated. She mentioned receiving congratulatory messages afterward, feeling like she was the voice of “ordinary people.”
Looking von der Leyen in the eye during her speech, Zajączkowska-Hernik said she saw contempt and “pure evil.” She bluntly stated her belief that the Commission president is a bad person and openly expressed her desire to see von der Leyen behind bars.
“I think I’m not alone in this. It’s the instinct of holding people accountable for their actions,” she added.
