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European Parliament chief says he will decide on sanctions following the investigation
Steven Woolfe collapsed hours after an altercation with Mike Hookem at the parliament
French authorities are investigating two members of the right-wing UK Independence Party after an altercation at the European Parliament in Strasbourg earlier this month, the parliament’s president said Wednesday.
The confrontation between Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem, both members of the European Parliament, left Woolfe hospitalized and made headlines in Britain.
Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, said he had referred the incident to French police and prosecutors on the advice of the body’s code of conduct committee.
“Based on the result of the investigations, I will then take a decision about sanctions to be imposed according to EP rules,” he posted on his official Twitter account.
At the time, Hookem acknowledged he had been involved in a “scuffle” with Woolfe but denied punching his colleague.
Woolfe, who collapsed hours after the altercation and spent several days in the hospital, announced early last week that he was withdrawing as a candidate for UKIP’s leadership and quitting the party altogether.
UKIP’s leadership has been shaky since Nigel Farage announced the day after the Brexit win that he would step down. His successor, Diane James, quit after 18 days on the job, leaving Farage to step in as interim leader.
CNN’s Simon Cullen contributed to this report.
