An Incredible Quote Doesn't Fit the Facts

[LowDown]

If anyone needs another confirmation that the European Union is fundamentally the most anti-democratic entity currently in existence, then the following statement by European Parliament Martin Schultz should put all confusion to rest.

Schulz: "The British have violated the rules. It is not the EU philosophy that the crowd can decide its fate".

This was quoted from a tweet in which someone quoted Schulz, so there's a fair possibility that the quote is not accurate or is taken out of context. Seems like a pretty incredible thing to say. This is being widely quoted among right wing blogs.

I can't confirm it with anything from a politically neutral publication that I can find.

In an official statement from the EU Commission the tone Shulz set was quite different:

"In a free and democratic process, the British people have expressed their wish to leave the European Union. We regret this decision but respect it....

As regards the United Kingdom, we hope to have it as a close partner of the European Union in the future. We expect the United Kingdom to formulate its proposals in this respect. Any agreement, which will be concluded with the United Kingdom as a third country, will have to reflect the interests of both sides and be balanced in terms of rights and obligations.”

Headlines saying that Schulz was making "demands" of the UK also seem to be tarted up. Schulz seems to be quite respectful when he asks for a prompt resolution of the matter.