Claire Dale and Mick Wallace, known for their pro-Russian positions and support for the ruling Georgian Dream party, did not secure seats in the newly elected European Parliament.
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Left-wing Irish politicians were named among Russia's "best friends" in the EU Parliament by Politico. They voted against a resolution of the European Parliament that demanded the creation of a tribunal to punish Russian leaders for aggression against Ukraine. A 2022 investigation by the Irish Times found that these MEPs were widely covered in state-controlled media in Russia, China, and other countries as supporters of those governments' policies. The Irish Examiner writes that Russian media presented Dale and Wallace as the conscience of Europe. "Yet they appear to have had no problem being used as propaganda tools by the state-run media in totalitarian regimes.," reads an opinion piece in the Irish Examiner.
In May, when the European Parliament held a debate on the adoption of the Russian law on so-called "foreign agents" in Georgia, Mick Wallace called the condemnation of this law by the EU and others "extreme hypocrisy."
“When will the #US and #EU Allies stop interfering in the domestic affairs of other Sovereign States like #Georgia..? Funding NGO's to bring about Regime Change to serve their Geopolitical Interests is destabilising Georgia…” Mick Wallace wrote on May 5.
Claire Daly claimed that there are lobbyists in the European Parliament who use this body "to change the government in Georgia." In an interview with the Georgian pro-government television company "Imedi," she said that in the European Parliament, "these forces are working to involve Georgia in the political struggle with Russia, as they did in Ukraine."
Claire Dale and Mick Wallace have been vocal critics of EU and NATO policy towards Ukraine. Claire Dale described the mobilization of Russian troops on the border of Ukraine before the start of the war as self-defense, and she spoke out against sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the Irish Times, the Security Service of Ukraine included Claire Dale in a list of public figures who promote Russian propaganda. Dale is criticized for spreading two narratives: "sanctions against Russia make innocent people suffer" and the Ukraine conflict is "a proxy war between NATO and Russia."
European Parliament elections were held in 27 member states of the European Union from June 6 to 9. According to the official results, the European People's Party (EPP) won the largest number of seats, securing 190 out of 720. The rest of the seats were distributed as follows: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) – 136; Renew Europe – 80; European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) – 76; Identity and Democracy (ID) – 58; Greens/EFA – 52; Left – 39. Additionally, 44 and 45 seats will be allocated to members who do not belong to any of the political groups listed above and to newly elected members who do not belong to any of the political groups formed in the 2019-2024 Parliament.
