LIBERTAS FOUNDER Declan Ganley last night accused "the Brussels elite" of trying to bully the Irish people into accepting the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Ganley, speaking at a dinner in honour of Czech president Vaclav Klaus, claimed that leaders in Europe were trying to press a solution that was a denial of the popular vote.
The businessman hosted the dinner in honour of Mr Klaus, who has been an outspoken critic of the European constitution and Lisbon Treaty. "You have come here because, like us, you have come to realise that Europe is being undermined by an elite group in Brussels who are on the verge of abandoning permanently Europe's experiment with democracy," Mr Ganley said.
Mr Ganley's address last night was seen as his most outspoken criticism yet of what he has portrayed as the European "elite". He contended that its reaction to the referendum result in Ireland had been immediate and authoritarian.
He also defended Mr Klaus's decision to attend last night's event, despite criticism that it may have been a breach of protocol for a visiting head of state. "You have been a consistent voice against tyranny and oppression, immediately appealing to the Irish mind and heart and for this we feel honoured that you are here tonight," he said.
Speaking of his nascent pan-European party, Mr Ganley said: "The people of Europe deserve better than to be treated with contempt by unaccountable elites.
"If we succeed, we will win a mandate that will shake the non-accountable grip of the Brussels elite to its foundations."
The French party, Mouvement pour la France, is close to joining the Libertas party, according to the Irish group's spokesman. Its leader, Philippe de Villiers, attended last night's event.
The party is considered conservative and Eurosceptic, and played a leading role in campaigning against the European constitution in the 2005 French referendum.