Shocking video shows the moment a right-wing Polish lawmaker grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused a large Hanukkah candle amid a celebration for Jewish families in the country’s parliament in Warsaw Tuesday.
Grzegorz Braun, of the nationalist and anti-immigrant Confederation party, can be seen in footage broadcast by TVN24 news channel removing a red fire extinguisher from a wall, before walking across the parliament lobby and closing the menorah on the sixth night of the Jewish “Festival of Lights.”
Plumes of smoke and white powder filled the air, forcing security guards to evacuate revelers, including children, who had come to attend the annual Hanukkah celebration at the invitation of Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia.
Magdalena Gudzinska-Adamczyk, a member of the Jewish community, tried to stop Braun from putting out the fire and was blasted in the face with white powder.
Polish fringe MP Grzegorz Braun was seen grabbing a fire extinguisher moments before sparking chaos at Hanukkah celebrations in the country’s parliament. X/Sebastian Napieraj Braun walks across the lobby and uses a fire extinguisher to extinguish the candles in the parliament menorah on the sixth day of Hanukkah. X/Sebastian Napieraj Magdalena Gudzinska-Adamczyk, right, a member of the Jewish community, tried to stop Braun and was left covered in white powder. X/Sebastian Napieraj
“I felt very short of breath and had trouble speaking,” he later told TVN24. “I have stopped feeling safe in this country.”
After his hateful act, Braun bravely took to the stage in the hall, describing Hanukkah as “demonic” and arguing that he was restoring “normality.”
Asked if he was ashamed of his actions, a defiant Braun responded: “Those who participate in acts of devil worship should be ashamed.”
After lighting the candles, Braun said that Hanukkah was “demonic” and that he was restoring “normalcy.” ZUMAPRESS.com The right-wing Member of Parliament was subsequently dropped from today’s parliamentary session and imposed a large financial penalty. via REUTERS
Braun, who had earlier claimed there was a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state” and called for the criminalization of homosexuality, then walked out of the room, after shaking hands with other fringe lawmakers.
The unprecedented act was widely condemned by other parliamentarians, with Speaker Holownia declaring that there would be no tolerance for antisemitic and xenophobic behavior in Poland’s governing body.
An enraged Holownia stormed Braun from that day’s parliamentary session, expressing the hope that “he won’t be back soon” – and vowing to report the incident to prosecutors.
Parliament also imposed the maximum financial penalty on the rogue MP, forcing him to forfeit half of his salary for three months and all expenses for six months.
Braun’s own political party quickly sought to distance itself from him, writing to X that it condemned the lawmaker’s behavior.
The incident occurred shortly after newly elected Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk delivered his inaugural address, in which he pledged support for Ukraine and promised that Poland would be a reliable ally of the US and NATO.
Tusk later publicly denounced Braun’s antisemitic display as “unacceptable” and a shame that should not be repeated.
Jewish families who had been invited to the Hanukkah celebration at the parliament building had to be evacuated as the air was filled with white powder and smoke. via REUTERS Rabbi Szalom Ber Stambler and deputy Speaker of Parliament Piotr Zgorzelski light Hanukkah candles before Braun’s performance. via Reuters
Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told Reuters that Braun’s actions did not represent the country and that he was “ashamed” by them.
“Someone blows out a Hanukkah candle and a few minutes later we light it again,” he said. “For thousands of years our enemies have tried to erase us, from the time of the Maccabees to Hamas. But our enemies must learn, they cannot erase us.”
Cardinal Grzegorz Rys of the Polish Catholic church said in a statement posted on X that he was ashamed of Braun’s actions.
“[I] apologize to the entire Jewish community in Poland,” he wrote
With Postal wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
