Insults in the European Parliament: Between Self-Rationalisation and Intercultural Turbulence

Exchanges of insults are rare in the European Parliament (EP). The process of self-rationalisation that presided over the rise of the institution affects all interactions between parliamentarians – including the civility of their exchanges. Yet, as in all parliamentary institutions, insult remains possible because of pluralism and publicity. Through the analysis of certain mediatised episodes, the contribution highlights factors more specific to the EP likely to generate verbal tension, namely: the presence of Eurosceptic representatives, the lack of cultural agreement on what can be said, the multiplicity of traditions of political rhetoric and the defence of certain European taboos such as peace and the usefulness of Parliament.