Far-right lawmaker uses fire extinguisher to douse Hanukkah candles in Polish parliament

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12855619/Shocking-moment-far-right-MP-uses-fi%5B…%5D-parliament-blasts-female-official-face-tries-stop-him.html

A shocking video shows the moment a far-right Polish lawmaker grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused a large Hanukkah candle display in the middle of a celebration for Jewish families at the country’s parliament in Warsaw Tuesday.

Grzegorz Braun, of the nationalist and anti-immigrant Confederation party, could be seen in footage posted by news outlet TVN24 removing a red fire extinguisher from a wall, before walking across the parliament’s lobby and smothering the menorah on the sixth night of the Jewish “Festival of Lights.”

A cloud of smoke and white powder filled the air, forcing security guards to evacuate revelers, including children, who had come to attend the annual Hanukkah festivities at the invitation of Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia.

Magdalena Gudzinska-Adamczyk, a member of the Jewish community, tried to stop Braun from extinguishing the flames and was blasted in the face with white powder.

Polish fringe lawmaker Grzegorz Braun is seen grabbing a fire extinguisher moments before causing chaos at a Hanukkah celebration in the country’s parliament. X/Sebastian Napieraj

Braun walked across the lobby and used the fire extinguisher to put out candles on the parliament’s 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 feel very short of breath and have trouble speaking,” she later told TVN24. “I have stopped feeling safe in this country.”

After his hateful stunt, Braun brazenly took the stage in the chamber, describing Hanukkah as “satanic” and arguing that he was restoring “normality.”

Asked if he was ashamed of his actions, a defiant Braun shot back: “Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed.”

Having doused the candles, Braun said that Hanukkah was “satanic” and that he was restoring “normality.” ZUMAPRESS.com

The far-right MP was later booted from the day’s parliamentary session and slapped with a hefty financial penalty. via REUTERS

Braun, who previously claimed that there was a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state” and called for the criminalization of homosexuality, then stomped out of the room, after shaking hands with other fringe lawmakers.

The unprecedented act was widely denounced by other members of parliament, with Speaker Holownia proclaiming that there would be no tolerance for antisemitic and xenophobic behavior in Poland’s governing body.

A furious Holownia booted Braun from the day’s parliamentary session, expressing hope that “he will not return soon” – and vowed to report the incident to prosecutors.

The parliament also slapped the maximum financial penalty on the rogue lawmaker, forcing him to lose 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 on X that it condemned the MP’s behavior.

The incident came a short time after Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk delivered his inaugural speech, in which he pledged support for Ukraine and promised that Poland would be a reliable ally to the US and NATO.

Tusk later publicly decried Braun’s antisemitic display as “unacceptable” and a disgrace that must never be repeated.

Jewish families that had been invited to the Hanukkah celebration in the parliament building had to be evacuated as the air 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 stunt. via REUTERS

Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told Reuters that Braun’s actions were not representative of the country and that he was “embarrassed” by them.

“Someone extinguished the Hanukkah candles and a few minutes later we relit them,” he said. “For thousands of years our enemies have been trying to extinguish us, from the time of the Maccabees right through to Hamas. But our enemies should learn, they cannot extinguish us.”

Cardinal Grzegorz Rys of Poland’s 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 Post wires