On Tuesday, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the newly created European Order of Merit at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a prize intended to honour individuals who have contributed to European integration and the values of the EU treaties. Almost immediately, a wave of false claims spread across social media and among some MEPs, alleging that the Parliament had brought in paid claqueurs—or hired extras—to fill the chamber and applaud Merkel.
German MEP Tomasz Froelich, a member of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and part of the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group, posted on 19 May that “claqueurs” were “placed in the seats of our deputies, against all parliamentary customs. Madness!” Similar accusations came from Italian Lega members and Finnish MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), who claimed on X that “the EU machinery started bringing random types to the seats of the elected politicians.”
What Actually Happened
Footage from the ceremony shows that seats normally occupied by the Patriots for Europe group—a far-right bloc—remained largely empty during parts of the event. This was not because the Parliament had removed them, but because several lawmakers from that group chose to boycott the ceremony. Members of Italy’s Lega party, for instance, said they joined a demonstration by Italian farmers against the Mercosur trade agreement. Others, like Tynkkynen, simply left the chamber in protest.
The European Parliament’s spokesperson clarified to Euronews that the plenary sitting had been officially suspended for the duration of the ceremony. This suspension allowed guests—including laureates, their family members, and staff involved in organising the event—to enter the chamber. As is customary during such events, MEPs who wished to attend maintained priority seating. The empty seats left by boycotting MEPs were thus filled by these legitimate attendees, not by hired claqueurs.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola reinforced this explanation in the following plenary session. “Yesterday, you were aware that the session was suspended by agreement for the duration of the Order of Merit Conferral Ceremony,” she told the chamber. “This allowed for guests to enter the Chamber, including the laureates, who would have otherwise not been allowed to come in, their families and some staff members who worked on the event.”
The claims of staged applause are therefore baseless. The European Parliament did not hire claqueurs, nor did it bring in random people. The attendees were guests with a legitimate connection to the ceremony, and the empty seats were a direct result of a political boycott by far-right MEPs.
This incident highlights the ongoing tensions within the European Parliament, where far-right groups often use procedural boycotts to signal their opposition to EU institutions and figures like Merkel. The false narrative of claqueurs also feeds into a broader distrust of EU processes, which can be exploited to undermine the credibility of the Parliament itself.
For context, the European Order of Merit is a new award, and Merkel’s selection signals a desire to honour stability and transatlantic cooperation at a time of geopolitical strain. The ceremony itself was a moment of recognition for a leader who steered Germany and Europe through multiple crises. The unfounded allegations of staged applause distract from that substantive discussion.
As the EU continues to navigate challenges such as budget negotiations and trade deals, it is essential to separate fact from fiction. The Parliament’s procedures are transparent, and the explanation from Metsola and the spokesperson leaves no room for doubt: the applause for Merkel was genuine, and the attendees were there legitimately.
