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Anti-gay rights Michal Kaminski becomes main voice of the Conservative Party in Europe
Homophobia rife in European Parliament
Homophobic Polish MEP shames Cameron
The Times reports today that the key role of leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists, part of the eight-nation group that includes the UK's Conservative Party, has gone to Michal Kaminski, who is opposed to gay rights and an anti-abortionist.
Mr Kaminski, a former spin-doctor for President Kaczynski, was awarded the position following a row between the 15 Polish MEPs and Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the 25 Conservative MEPs. The deal was done after a furious phone call from President Kaczynski to David Cameron, despite the fact that the Tories are by far the largest party in the alliance. Mr Kaminski will now sit on the front row of the European Parliament and represent the group's position in all the main debates instead of Mr Kirkhope.
Kaminski's notorious past includes being associated with the far-right National Revival of Poland and a hardline Catholic organisation, the Christian-National Union. When he was spin-doctor for Mr Kaczynski, the President campaigned against the Lisbon Treaty on the grounds that it would force Poland to accept gay marriages. As an MP, in 1999, he made the headlines in Poland when he visited London to pay homage to General Pinochet.
Senior Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott was expelled from the party on Tuesday for rebelling against David Cameron's agreement to Kaminski's appointment. In an interview with the BBC's The Record: Europe, he said of Kaminski's three-year membership of National Revival of Poland: "It is homophobic, racist, anti-semitic - they use the Nazi salute, they are linked to the BNP through a thing called the European National Front - it is a deeply unpleasant organisation."
