A moment of silence for victims of the Holocaust at the European Union Parliament on Wednesday was broken by a Polish MEP accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Grzegorz Braun of the far-right Confederation party twice shouted in English, “Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza,” during the official Holocaust commemoration at the European Parliament, which came two days after International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
After a pause, he added, “Thank you, everybody, for praying for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.” Israel has strenuously denied all accusations of genocide.
Others who were present could be heard murmuring against his actions.
As soon as the moment of silence ended, parliament president Roberta Metsola called on Braun to leave the chamber, a decision that was applauded by participants.
The European Jewish Congress called the outburst “a vile display of antisemitism in the heart of European democracy.”
“Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.”
Poland’s MEP, Grzegorz Braun, was expelled from the EU Parliament today for daring to speak these words—calling out the hypocrisy and double standards of its members. pic.twitter.com/I7Fj0pwadd
— sarah (@sahouraxo) January 29, 2025
“Disrupting a solemn moment of silence with hateful rhetoric is not only a grave insult to the memory of the Holocaust victims but also a disturbing reminder that the same antisemitic narratives that fueled history’s darkest times continue to persist today,” the EJC wrote on social media platform X.
Braun later said that he did not “disrupt” the event but rather “supplemented” it.
“I shared the observation that apparently all victims are equal, but some are more equal than others,” he posted on X.
Grzegorz Braun supplements minute of silence for jews with “Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza”
He is escorted out of EU parliament afterwards pic.twitter.com/PyNlwenL78
— Polish Connection (@PoleConnection) January 29, 2025
Braun’s party website, which features his photo on the homepage, also includes a link to an 18th century encyclical by Pope Benedict XIV recommending that Poles deprive Jews of property, restrict them from holding office and avoid doing business with them.
Last December, Braun disrupted a Hanukkah event at the Polish parliament with members of the Jewish community, taking a fire extinguisher and walking across the lobby of parliament to where the menorah candles were, creating a white cloud and forcing security guards to rush people out of the area.
He then took to the podium in the chamber where he described Hanukkah as “satanic” and said he was restoring “normality.”
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