A right-wing Bulgarian MEP has sparked outrage by giving a Nazi salute during a debate in the European Parliament.
Angel Dzhambazki, from the Bulgarian National Movement party, made the gesture after speaking during a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary.
The European Commission and Parliament have made moves to crack down on the countries' apparent drift towards authoritarian under populist right-wing leaders.
“We will never allow you to tell us what to say and do. Long live Bulgaria, Hungary, Orbán, Fidesz and the Europe of nation states,” Mr Dzhambazki had earlier told parliament.
He faces a possible sanction over the gesture and reportedly later told colleagues it was not a fascist salute and that it was subject to “a small misunderstanding”.
Recommended EU slams plan to expand water use near Spain’s Do？ana park Protesters in Istanbul decry migrant deaths on Greek border ‘I’ll name names if Tories open Islamophobia investigation’, says ex-MEP
Mr Dzhambazki's party sits in the European Conservatives and Reformists group, which was founded by the UK's Conservatives and includes an array of right-wing, eurosceptic, and far-right parties.
David Cameron pulled the Tories out of the mainstream centre-right group in 2009 to create the alternative group.
World news in pictures Show all 50
1/50World news in pictures
World news in pictures 16 February 2022 Syrian firefighters extinguish fire following artillery shelling by the Syrian regime on a fuel depot affiliated to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group in the northwestern rebel-held town of Dana
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 15 February 2022 Austria's Cornelia Huetter competes in the womens downhill final during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 14 February 2022 A Taliban fighter directs traffic as a street vendor sells red heart-shaped balloons for Valentine's Day, in Kabul, Afghanistan
AP
World news in pictures 13 February 2022 Russian Navy's diesel-electric Kilo class submarine Rostov-on-Don sails with an naval ensign of the Russian Federation, also known in Russian as The Andreyevsky Flag on it through the Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Black Sea
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 12 February 2022 People participate in the Winter Snow Sports Festival in Kalam
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 11 February 2022 A tank during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force, at a firing range near Brest
Russian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 10 February 2022 Multiple exposure photo of Magdalena Czyszczon of Poland during the Speed Skating warm up at the 2022 Beijing Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 9 February 2022 An Indian hand rickshaw puller waits for customers in front of a building displaying posters of different theater shows in Kolkata, India
AP
World news in pictures 8 February 2022 Starlings overfly Zaragoza, Spain
EPA
World news in pictures 7 February 2022 Performers dressed as superhero characters pose with a child receiving the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 at a gym in San Juan City, suburban Manila
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 6 February 2022 Cars stop before a flooded area, after Cyclone Batsirai made landfall, on a road in Vohiparara, Madagascar
Reuters
World news in pictures 5 February 2022 A woman carries a child as locals who were displaced by Cyclone Ana find refuge in an evacuation centre at the West Ankorondrano neighbourhood, Madagascar
Reuters
World news in pictures 4 February 2022 Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 3 February 2022 Italian Air Force aerobatic display team, the Frecce Tricolori, perform during the inauguration of the president of the Italian Republic, in Rome. Sergio Mattarella was elected for a second term
EPA
World news in pictures 2 February 2022 Italian athletes during training ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 1 February 2022 People are sprayed with foam at an amusement park as part of holiday festivities on the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger in Yogyakarta
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 31 January 2022 Arterial roads are lit up as morning commuters drive along at dawn in western Beijing ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 30 January 2022 Rafael Nadal reacts after beating Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles Australian Open final. In doing so, the Spaniard won a record-breaking 21st grand slam title
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 29 January 2022 A worker cleans up crude oil on Mae Ram Phueng beach following a spill caused by a leak in an undersea pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited in Rayong, Thailand
Getty
World news in pictures 28 January 2022 Medical staff in personal protective equipment are seen at a speed skating training session for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 27 January 2022 Los Angeles sculptor Dan Medina has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant along with seven other passengers by placing a temporary statue of the two where their helicopter crashed two years ago today in Calabasas, California
REUTERS
World news in pictures 26 January 2022 The Central Reserve Police Force during the 73rd Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, India
EPA
World news in pictures 25 January 2022 A winter swimming enthusiast dives into a partly frozen lake in a partly frozen lake in Shenyang, in northeastern China’s Liaoning province
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 24 January 2022 A newlywed couple from the US enjoys a snowfall during a photo shooting near the Acropolis in Athens
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 23 January 2022 Anti-vaccine and mask activists act out getting a vaccine during a ‘Defeat the Mandates’ rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, USA
EPA
World news in pictures 22 January 2022 Horse patrol of the 2nd Lublin Territorial Defense Brigade on the border with Belarus in Wlodawa, Poland
EPA
World news in pictures 21 January 2022 Carlos Hebert Plante dives into freezing waters to use his boogie board as extreme cold weather hits Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Reuters
World news in pictures 20 January 2022 Children wearing traditional uniform take part in the children’s ‘Tamborrada’ drum event to mark San Sebastian patron saint’s Day, in Basque Country, northern Spain
EPA
World news in pictures 19 January 2022 A woman poses for a picture near an ice hole as a man takes a dip during celebrations of the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany in the settlement of Ivanovskoye in the Moscow region, Russia
REUTERS
World news in pictures 18 January 2022 Soldiers march during celebrations to mark Royal Thai Armed Forces Day at Chulabhorn Camp in the southern Thailand province of Narathiwat
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 17 January 2022 Novak Djokovic prepares to take his seat on a plane to Belgrade, in Dubai, after losing his bid to stay in Australia to defend his Australian Open title despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19
AP
World news in pictures 16 January 2022 A dog drinks water from a tap on Bondi Beach in Sydney
Getty
World news in pictures 15 January 2022 The Patrouille Suisse jets perform prior to the Men’s Downhill race at the Fis Alpine Skiing World Cup in Wengen, Switzerland
EPA
World news in pictures 14 January 2022 Hindu devotees take a dip in the waters of river Narmada in Budhni, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, a day considered to be of great religious significance in Hindu mythology
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 13 January 2022 Kuwait City’s al-Hamra tower (right), the headquarters of The National Bank of Kuwait (centre) and the al-Rayah tower (left), caught in heavy fog
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 12 January 2022 An Ivory Coast supporter cheers before the group Africa Cup of Nations match between Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast at Stade de Japoma in Douala
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 11 January 2022 A shopkeeper poses for a photo in front of a shop selling decorations in the old quarter of Hanoi ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet holiday
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 10 January 2022 Members of the Serbian community march in Melbourne, Australia, in support of tennis player Novak Djokovic, who was being kept in an immigration detention center after his visa was revoked upon landing in the country
EPA
World news in pictures 9 January 2022 A firefighter of Minas Gerais state seeks for victms after a wall of rock collapsed on top of motor boats below a waterfall in Capitolio, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil
Reuters
World news in pictures 8 January 2022 Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armes Forces walk on a trench on the frontline with Russia-backed separatists near to Avdiivka, Donetsk, southeastern Ukraine
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 7 January 2022 Christian Lavieille and co-driver Johnny Aubert compete during the Stage 6 of the Dakar 2021 near the Saudi capital Riyadh
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 6 January 2022 A man shows off riding skills during Epiphany celebrations in the village of Pietrosani, Romania
AP
World news in pictures 5 January 2022 A woman and a nun look toward the north, near the demilitarised zone which separates the two Koreas
REUTERS
World news in pictures 4 January 2022 Tourists visit the Taj Mahal amidst fog in Agra
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 3 January 2022 German ski jumper Markus Eisenbichler in action during training for the Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck, Austria
REUTERS
World news in pictures 2 January 2022 A firefighter looks at the smoke rising after a suspected arson in the Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa
Reuters
World news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Year’s Eve fireworks erupt over Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House during the fireworks show
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 31 December 2021 A winter swimming enthusiast skates on a frozen lake in Shenyang, in northeastern China's Liaoning
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 30 December 2021 A Sadhu or a Hindu holyman smokes at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati ahead of the Magh Mela festival in Allahabad, India
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 29 December 2021 A woman takes a picture of ice-covered vehicles unloaded from the cargo ship Sun Rio, which was caught in severe weather conditions in the Sea of Japan, in the port of Vladivostok, Russia
REUTERS
Roberta Metsola, the Maltese president of the European Parliament, who sits in the centre-right EPP group said: "A fascist salute in the European Parliament is unacceptable to me - always and everywhere.
"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."
Mr Dzhambazki’s office did not respond to a request for comment.