Feb. 17 (UPI) -- European Union officials are considering punishment for a right-wing Bulgarian lawmaker after he appeared to give a Nazi-type salute in European Parliament on Wednesday.
Bulgarian member of parliament Angel Dzhambazki, of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists group, made the gesture as he left the chamber late Wednesday.
The gesture sparked outrage in Europe and other parts of the world, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Dzhambazki's conduct is under review and could lead to sanctions.
Dzhambazki's gesture came after debate in the chamber about a ruling from the EU's top court that said the bloc can withhold funds from member states that violate the rule of law. Dzhambazki was highly critical of the ruling and wrote in a tweet, "We will never allow you to tell us what to say and what to do."
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Dzhambazki has denied that it was a Nazi salute -- and said it was actually an innocent wave.
"Wrong interpretations can lead to a storm in a teacup. This is exactly what the outrage over [Wednesday's] incident," Dzhambazki tweeted Thursday. "However, such outrage can have consequences and I insist those who spread lies to apologize."
"A fascist salute in the European Parliament is unacceptable to me -- always and everywhere," Metsola said in a tweet.
"It offends me and everyone else in Europe. We stand for the opposite. We are the House of democracy. That gesture is from the darkest chapter of our history and must be left there."
A rule in European Parliament says that lawmakers' conduct should be based on values and principles established in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.
