Shocking moment far-right MP uses fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles in Polish parliament and blasts female official in the face with it as she tries to stop him
A far-right Polish politician brazenly extinguished Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament building with a fire extinguisher.
Video shows Grzegorz Braun ripping the red fire extinguisher from the wall of Poland's Sejm building and marching towards the exhibition to celebrate the Jewish holiday.
As he heads for the candles, he turns on the fire extinguisher, covering the floor and shocking the bystanders with a cloud of white powder.
The shocking footage shows Braun extinguishing candles on a menorah lit for Hanukkah as a persistent haze filled the air.
Seconds later, a female official desperately tries to grab the fire extinguisher from Braun's hands, after which the far-right MP shoots her in the face with white power.
Video shows Grzegorz Braun ripping the red fire extinguisher from the wall of the Polish Sejm building and marching towards the exhibition to celebrate the Jewish holiday
The shocking footage shows Braun snuffing out the candles on a menorah lit for Hanukkah as a persistent haze filled the air
Seconds later, a female official desperately tries to grab the fire extinguisher from Braun's hands – only for the far-right MP to shoot her in the face with white power
Braun, a pro-Russian Confederation Party member, then puts down the fire extinguisher as the woman and onlookers shout at him. He then wipes his hands and walks to his bag before heading to the room.
He then took to the podium in the room where he described Hanukkah as “satanic” and said he was restoring “normalcy.”
When Braun was asked shortly after the incident if he was ashamed, he replied: “Those who participate in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed.”
Braun has falsely claimed in the past that there is a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state.”
All major political forces quickly denounced Braun's incident, saying there would be no tolerance for anti-Semitic and xenophobic behavior in the Sejm, Poland's parliament.
The speaker of parliament, Szymon Holownia, called the act “absolutely outrageous” and excluded him from the day's parliamentary proceedings. He said he had filed a report with prosecutors.
“This should never have happened,” Holownia said. 'Poland is home to all religions.'
The parliamentary procedure was suspended. As Braun left the chamber, he shook hands with other far-right lawmakers.
“There will be no tolerance for racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism … as long as I am speaker of parliament,” Holownia told reporters. After the incident, the candles were relit.
Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told Reuters by telephone that Braun's actions were not representative of the country and that he was “embarrassed” as a result.
Grzegorz Braun, far-right Polish MP from the Confederation Party, walks outside after using a fire extinguisher to extinguish Hanukkah candles
Grzegorz Braun, far-right Polish MP from the Konfederacja party, stands after using a fire extinguisher to extinguish Hanukkah candles in parliament in Warsaw
Braun speaks to the media while covered in white powder after extinguishing the Hanukkah candles in the Polish Parliament
“Someone put out the Hanukkah candles and a few minutes later we lit them again,” he said. “For thousands of years, our enemies have tried to exterminate us, from the time of the Maccabees to Hamas. But our enemies must learn that they cannot eradicate us.”
Cardinal Grzegorz Rys of the Polish Catholic Church said in a statement on social media platform X that he was ashamed of Braun's actions.
“I apologize to the entire Jewish community in Poland,” he wrote.
New Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a shame and said such an incident should never be repeated.
Tusk was elected on Monday and delivered his inaugural speech to parliament on Tuesday, in which he vowed to demand that the Western world continue its aid to Ukraine.
Tusk also called on Poland's divided political class to unite, saying it cannot afford division as Russia wages a war of aggression across the border, a conflict that many fear could spread if Moscow gains the upper hand.
“The task of Poland, the task of the new government, but also the task of all of us, is to loudly and forcefully demand the full determination of the entire Western community to help Ukraine in this war. I will do this from day one,” Tusk said at a session attended by the Ukrainian ambassador and former Polish presidents, including anti-communist freedom fighter Lech Walesa.
Hours later, the important day in Parliament was disrupted by Braun after he grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out candles on a menorah during a Hanukkah celebration.