Green MEP said he was asked to leave as he arrived for first day of European parliament

An incident in which a black British MEP was asked to leave the European parliament on his first day highlighted the lack of racial diversity in EU politics, a campaign group has said.

Magid Magid, a Green MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, said he nearly missed the opening of the new legislature in Strasbourg after he was asked to leave the building.

He said the request had undertones of racism. “I know I’m visibly different,” he tweeted. “I don’t have the privilege to hide my identity. I’m BLACK & my name is Magid. I don’t intend to try fit in. Get used to it.”

He suggested his physical appearance had made “people feel uncomfortable”. He added: “MEPs don’t reflect the people that they represent, Europe-wide, and I know I’m gonna stick out like a sore thumb.”

The European parliament said no member of its staff was involved in the incident.

The European Network Against Racism (ENAR), a network of more than 160 grassroots anti-racism organisations, said the incident reflected a wider pattern in European politics: “To be successful in EU politics, you must be white.”

Last week Younus Omarjee, an MEP from the French island of Réunion, documented another alleged racist encounter. Travelling by train to Brussels, Omarjee said, he and his Congolese colleague were the only people in the carriage to be subjected to a targeted police control.

Sarah Chander, a senior advocacy officer at the ENAR, said: “Unfortunately, for people of colour in Brussels this week the issue has not been how to secure the top jobs. Instead, a number of ethnic minority MEPs have simply had to justify their right to be here.

“These incidents may seem minor to some. A snide comment here, a ‘random’ security check there. Many of the responses on Twitter were eager to deny that racism may have been a factor motivating these encounters. But these incidents are major and they are significant. They reflect a wider pattern in European politics.”

Magid, who wore a baseball cap and a T-shirt reading “f**k fascism” to the opening of parliament, said he did not know the identity of the person who asked him to leave, although he believed they were an official. He said the person asked if he was lost and then suggested he leave.

After receiving messages of support, Magid said: “Just to clarify [I] obviously didn’t leave. But to even be put in this position says a lot about what people think the stereotypical politician is meant to look like.”

A spokeswoman for the European parliament said: “We investigated the matter immediately after our attention was brought to it and can safely say that no member of parliament staff was involved.”

In 2017 the European commission launched a diversity strategy calling for special measures to improve representation of four groups: women, people with disabilities, LGBTI people and older people.

Chander said nothing had changed. The ENAR said only 5% of MEPs were people of colour and it predicted the situation was likely to worsen after Brexit.

“The EU holds immense power on affairs directly affecting people of colour. The EU has the competence to influence migration policy, non-discrimination legislation, data protection and justice issues. And yet people of colour are absent in EU power circles,” Chander said. “There are no explicit steps toward positive action to improve racial diversity. If the EU doesn’t take steps to change, these cases will continue.”