Far-right German politician heckles Carney with 'U.S.A.' chant before EU address

As Prime Minister Mark Carney approached the podium at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, he was met by a lone heckler with an unexpected chant for a Canadian leader speaking to the EU in France.

German MEP says chant was meant to address 'elephant in the room'

David Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: Sep 17, 2026 6:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

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As Prime Minister Mark Carney approached the podium at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, he was met by a lone heckler with an unexpected chant for a Canadian leader speaking to the EU in France.

"U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" German MEP Siegbert Droese called out.

Some in the crowd groaned, then Carney chuckled and carried on with his speech where he called for closer ties between Canada and the EU and an "alliance for the future."

In a statement provided to CBC News, Droese said the chant was his way of "addressing the geopolitical elephant in the room."

WATCH | German MEP chants 'U.S.A.':

‘U.S.A., U.S.A.': German politician chants as Carney speaks to EU Parliament

24 minutes ago|

Duration

0:06

Siegbert Droese, a member of the European Parliament from the far-right Alternative for Germany party, chanted 'U.S.A., U.S.A.' before a speech from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Thursday. Carney addressed the Parliament in Strasbourg, France, calling for an alliance between Canada and the European Union.

Droese said Carney's reaction to his callout shows the prime minister "clearly has a sense of humor."

Carney's address to the Parliament in Strasbourg is just another step in a bilateral push for a tightened relationship with the EU and comes just a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she wants Canada to become the bloc's first "associate member" — a new, and as of yet, undefined title.

• Read Mark Carney's full speech to the European Parliament

• What we know about the proposed partnership between Canada and the EU

"It was an absurd and unrealistic knee-jerk reaction for Ms. von der Leyen to propose an 'associate EU membership' for Canada: a status not provided for in any of the European treaties," Droese wrote in his statement.

Droese is a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been surging in popularity among German voters.

The AfD's domestic policies include proposing large-scale deportations of anyone of non-German heritage and a push for what the party calls a patriotic cultural policy to cut funding for projects not deemed suitably national — such as some Holocaust remembrance programs.

In his statement, Droese called the European Commission president corrupt and suggested she's seeking an agreement with Canada to bypass her "abysmal" relations with the U.S.

Droese ended his statement by saying there is a "certain irony in the fact that the six letters 'USA! USA!' were enough" to trigger a reaction.