Polish Lawmaker's Immunity Lifted After Extinguishing Hanukkah Candles in Parliament

The Polish parliament voted to lift the immunity of a deputy who used a fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles in the parliament hall in December, an incident that sparked international outrage. The vote paves the way for prosecutors to press charges against Grzegorz Braun from the far-right Confederation party for seven acts committed during 2022 and 2023, including the incident of extinguishing the menorah. Anieska POMASKE, a deputy from the largest group in the Polish coalition government, the Civic Coalition, stated, "There is no justification for protecting him with immunity... We know what he did, and it was unacceptable." Additionally, the largest opposition party, Law and Justice, also voted to lift Braun's immunity. The Polish news agency (PAP) reported that the attorney general for Warsaw, Mariusz Dubowski, informed a parliamentary committee that Braun would face charges including property destruction, violation of bodily safety, and insulting items related to religions. After extinguishing the candles in parliament on December 12, Braun took to the podium and described the Hanukkah holiday as "satanic," claiming he was restoring things to "normal." When later asked if he felt ashamed of his actions, he replied, "Those who participate in acts of satanic worship are the ones who should feel ashamed." Even before the menorah incident, Braun, who had previously made pro-Russian statements, engaged in provocative acts, such as throwing a Christmas tree decorated in the colors of the EU and Ukraine into a trash can and damaging a speaker while a historian specializing in the Holocaust was speaking.