Polish Far-Right Politician Extinguishes Hanukkah Candles in Parliament

Grzegorz Braun, a far-right lawmaker in the Polish parliament, used a fire extinguisher to put out a candle on a menorah lit for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Tuesday.

The act, captured on camera and aired by Polish news network TVN24, showed Braun extinguishing the menorah lit during the Hannukah celebration in the parliament building in Warsaw, Poland.

Braun then spoke from the podium in the chamber where he described Hanukkah – an eight-day Jewish festival – as “satanic” and said he was restoring “normality” to parliament.

“Those who take part in acts of Satanic worship should be ashamed,” he said.

Leaders from across the political spectrum were quick to denounce the incident. The Speaker of the Parliament, Szymon Holownia, slammed the act as “absolutely scandalous” and announced that Braun was suspended from the day’s parliamentary sessions.

In a statement, Holownia said: “Poland is home of all religions.” He also announced that he would be reporting Braun to prosecutors.

The newly elected Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who had just delivered his inaugural speech to parliament pledging support for Ukraine, called the incident a disgrace. He said there would be no tolerance for antisemitism and xenophobia in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

Braun, known for his pro-Russian stance, is a member of the Confederation party. He most recently stirred controversy due to his false claims about a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state.”

The extinguished candles on the menorah were quickly relit following the incident but it has sparked a national conversation about religious tolerance and extremist views in politics.