Members of Parliament in Poland have voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of far-right politician Grzegorz Braun, who faced global criticism for extinguishing candles lit during a Hanukkah celebration last month.
Braun used a fire extinguisher to put out the menorah candles in parliament, generating white mist in the room.
Despite being fined in December for the act, the removal of his immunity opens the possibility of criminal charges.
After extinguishing the candles, Braun referred to Hanukkah as “satanic” and claimed to be restoring “normality,” stating that those involved in “satanic worship” should feel ashamed.
Prosecutors plan to bring several charges against the ultra-nationalist Confederation party member, including destruction of property, insulting religious worship objects, and violation of bodily integrity.
All parties, except the Confederation party, voted in favor of revoking his immunity.
Lawmaker Agnieszka Pomaska from the Civic Coalition remarked, “There is no reason to protect him using immunity… We know what he did, and it was not acceptable.”
Parliament speaker Szymon Holownia previously condemned Braun’s actions as “disgusting” and emphasized a zero-tolerance stance on anti-Semitism in the assembly.
Braun, known for previous provocative stunts, such as discarding a Christmas tree decorated in EU and Ukraine colors and damaging a microphone during a Holocaust historian’s talk, faces additional charges for incidents in 2022 and 2023.
Source-BBC
