The European Parliament’s President Martin Schulz confirmed in a European Council session on Wednesday that the French police are investigating the fight that left UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe hospitalised in Strasbourg earlier this month.
Separately, UKIP released an internal report of its own investigation of the incident, which blames Woolfe for both starting the fight and not apologising afterward.
Schulz said that “any further investigations” would be handled by the French authorities:
“We are extraterritorial but that doesn’t mean people can’t be prosecuted for criminal activities. If crimes are perpetrated in this house they are subject to prosecution according to the laws of the country concerned. What I find regrettable is that, as president, I have to communicate to the house that one member has struck another. That is the real scandal here.”
On October 6, Woolfe tussled with a colleague – Mike Hookem- during a meeting with other UKIP members of the European Parliament. It was around 30 minutes after the incident that he collapsed on a walkway. He was eventually taken to hospital in Strasbourg:
While his injuries were deemed as serious and "life-threatening," he eventually released a statement saying he was "well" and confirmed that he did not have a "blood clot in the brain." He also tweeted this picture of himself:
Woolfe, who was widely touted to be the favourite to replace Nigel Farage as leader of the party, quit UKIP. In a statement on his website at the time, he said the party is "ungovernable without Nigel Farage leading it and without the referendum cause to unite it."
The North West MEP said he also "made a police complaint" about Mike Hookem and is seeking legal advice, claiming Hookem punched him.
Hookem maintains that, while they did have an argument, he did not punch Woolfe. He says Woolfe "fell over his own feet."
Woolfe reiterates his claim that Hookem punched him in his statement. The injuries he sustained following the incident were at one point described as life threatening and he says in the statement that he suffered "two seizures, partial paralysis and loss of feeling in my face and body."
The UKIP report clears Hookem of blame largely because there were no witnesses to what happened inside the small ante room where the pair were alone when Woolfe first fell, and thus no direct evidence that Hookem hit Woolfe. Its conclusion reads:
It is clear that the events surrounding this altercation have bought great shame on the parties involved. The behaviour of both Mr Woolfe and Mr Hookem falls far below what we would expect from any member of our party, particular those who hold such high office.
The investigation acknowledges both the apology, and the regret articulated by Mr Hookem over his involvement in the incident.
The investigation notes that Mr Woolfe has not accepted any responsibility, nor has he apologised for his involvement in the incident. ...
... The investigation finds that Mr Woolfe instigated the altercation by suggesting that he and Mr Hookem deal with their differences "man to man". It also believes it reasonable to assume Mr Woolfe meant for it to be a physical altercation, as it had been perceived by a clear majority of members in attendance.