VIDEO: Moment Farage blasts EU bureaucrats 'You're like the MAFIA!' for keeping UK hostage
NIGEL Farage ripped into the European Union for acting like the mafia over its “nasty” treatment of Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.
Nigel Farage tells EU: You're behaving like the MAFIA
In an electrifying debate in the European Parliament on the key issues of Brexit talks, the former Ukip leader accused the Brussels club of trying to hold the UK at “ransom”.
Fellow MEPs appeared gobsmacked as the 53-year-old warned any hostile treatment during the forthcoming negotiations would only hurt the EU.
After slating the bloc for allowing Spain a veto over a Brexit deal affecting Gibraltar, Mr Farage fumed: “You have shown yourselves with these demands as vindictive, to be nasty, all I can say is thank goodness we’re leaving.
Nigel Farage stunned the European Parliament with a blistering attack
You’re behaving like the mafia, you think we’re a hostage
“You’re behaving like the mafia, you think we’re a hostage, we’re not, we’re free to go!”
The epic putdown was met with jeers, as Mr Farage was warned against using language which could be deemed offensive by some of the other 27 remaining nations.
Undeterred, Mr Farage continued his blistering tirade: “I do understand, Mr President, national sensitivities, I’ll change [mafia] to gangsters and that is how we’re being treated."
Nigel Farage was heckled a number of times during his rant
As he was heckled again, the Ukip MEP showed no remorse, as he thundered: “We’re being given a ransom note, but what must be very difficult for all of you to get into your minds is there is a bigger world out there than the European Union.
“Eighty-five per cent of the global economy is outside the European Union. If you wish to have no deal, if you wish to force us from the table, it is not us that will be hurt.
“We don’t have to buy German motorcars, we don’t have to drink French wine, we don’t have to eat Belgium chocolate - there are a lot of other people that will give that to us.
Eurocrats appeared stunned during Mr Farage's epic putdown
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The passionate rant was finished: “A return to tariffs will risk the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people, but you say you want to put the interests above that of your citizens and the EU.
“If you do that it will not just be the UK that triggers Article 50 but there will be many more to come.”