In a high-profile case of alleged harassment that has further rocked the European Parliament, Belgian MEP Assita Kanko is the latest to stand accused of terrorising employees. Kanko is said to have created a “culture of fear” among her staff with outrageous demands such as “babysitting her child”and working on days off. She also reportedly “playing mind games” with employees.
The allegations will only further tarnish Parliament’s reputation as it reels from the Qatargate scandal, where several MEPs are accused of having taken bribes.
The harassment accusations against Kanko come after MEP Monica Semedo was fined for mistreating a parliamentary assistant, although Semedo denies any wrongdoing. Already this year, there have been three confirmed cases of harassment by European lawmakers.
The Kanko case came to light after a formal complaint was filed by a disgruntled ex-employee, since when others have come forward regarding alleged harassment.
Three former Kanko staffers and two Parliament officials who worked closely with the MEP or her team, speaking on condition of anonymity with Politico, claimed instances of mistreatment included asking them to perform tasks “such as collecting food for or babysitting her child, running personal errands, or administrative work”.
They claimed orders to work would be issued during weekends, days off, and outside normal office hours — both early in the morning and sometimes even in the middle of the night.
The former staffers and officials claimed there was “a culture of fear” and accused Kanko of “playing mind games”. “She makes you believe that you are the one who did something wrong or said something wrong, even when you have evidence of the contrary,” said one.
“It always had to be done immediately, so you left your friends and family to handle her request,” the staffer continued. “The day after, she had changed her mind to go back to the initial plan. This happened constantly and drove us all mad.”
The accusations go against parliamentary rules designed to ensure that people working in Parliament are treated with dignity, courtesy and respect and without prejudice or discrimination at all times.
Potentially supporting the accusations, there was a high turnover of employees working under Kanko, where 13 parliamentary staffers came and went in four years.
In response to the harassment allegations, Kanko took to social media on Thursday morning, insisting the complaint referred to in the Politico article had “already been dealt with, according to a procedure, and was dismissed in full on May 17”.
She continued: “I have provided all my arguments and rebuttals within that procedure and I feel I am in a strong position. But all along, I have also abided by the rules of procedure.
“Those rules guarantee the rights of the complainant and defence and thus impose, among other things, that there is no communication to the outside world,” she said. “For example, by unilaterally leaking one version of a story. Unfortunately, I note that this is now happening.”
However, she said she would abide by parliamentary regulations and would not go to the media herself: “Out of respect for the procedure, the committee carrying it out and the European Parliament, and out of respect for the privacy of all parties, I still want to follow these imposed rules. Therefore, I cannot and will not comment in the press while these proceedings are ongoing.”
