The European Court of Justice has rejected an appeal by Nigel Farage, an MEP from the United Kingdom Independence Party, against a fine for insulting Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council.
Speaking to the European Parliament in 2010, where Van Rompuy was attending a debate, Farage described the Council president as having “all the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk”. Jerzy Buzek, the Parliament's president at the time, fined Farage for insulting Van Rompuy and his country (Belgium), a total of €2,980, corresponding to ten days' worth of attendance allowances. Farage's appeal was rejected by the Court on 5 September, in a decision made public on Monday (17 September).
