Black MEP Magid Magid says he was asked to leave EU parliament
Green Party member claims he was stopped on his first day in the building
A black MEP says he was asked to leave the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on his first day.
Writing on Twitter, Magid Magid, the Green MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “I know I’m visibly different. I don’t have the privilege to hide my identity. I’m BLACK & my name is Magid. I don’t intend to try fit in. Get used to it!”
He clarified later: “I obviously didn’t leave. But to even be put in this position says a lot about what people think the stereotypical politician is meant to look like.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Magid, a 30-year-old Somali refugee and former lord mayor of Sheffield, ventured that his physical appearance might have made people feel “uncomfortable”.
He added: “MEPs don’t reflect the people that they represent, Europe-wide and I know I’m gonna stick out like a sore thumb.”
The European parliament insists that no member of staff was involved in the incident. “We investigated the matter immediately after our attention was brought to it and can safely say that no member of parliament staff was involved,” said a spokeswoman.
Magid, who came to the UK aged five, was one of seven Green Party MEPs who secured a seat in the European elections in May.
He has promised to be a champion for all of Yorkshire and the Humber and an advocate for young people across the region.
“At a time when young people are politically engaged, we need to present MEP candidates who look and sound like them, and who truly understand and speak for them,” he said.
He was one of 73 MEPs who headed to Strasbourg this week for the start of their five-year term.
The Guardian described Tuesday as a “chaotic first day”. Nigel Farage and his 28 Brexit party MEPs turned their backs during the European anthem, and Liberal Democrat MEPs took their seats wearing yellow “bollocks to Brexit” T-shirts.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Netherlands split on WFH for sex workers
Speed Read Councils concerned over 'nuisance' of at-home sex work, but others say changes will curb underground sex trade
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'He adored Trump, and then rejected him'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Thursday Murder Club: who's in the film and what we can expect
Speed Read Author Richard Osman reveals starry cast set to play his 'septuagenarian sleuths'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published