A Polish MP disrupted a moment of silence for Holocaust victims in the European Parliament with shouts.

On Wednesday, January 29, Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament Grzegorz Braun disrupted a moment of silence during a special session of the European Parliament honoring the victims of the Holocaust. Braun shouted several times: “Pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza”. Following this, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, requested security to immediately escort the Polish politician out of the chamber. According to PAP, reports indicate that Grzegorz Braun may lose his salary as an MEP.

After the incident, Braun insisted that he did not disrupt the moment of silence but rather “supplemented it with a call to prayer for the victims of the genocide of Jews in Gaza.” “I just noted that, obviously, all victims are equal, but some are more equal than others,” the politician wrote.

Grzegorz Braun's outbursts during the moment of silence in the European Parliament on January 29, 2025

It is worth mentioning that during the special session of the European Parliament, Corrie Herman, the daughter of Hungarian composer and cellist Pal Herman who was killed by the Nazis in 1944, participated in the ceremonies. The musician was arrested during a raid, taken to prison, and then transported to the Drancy concentration camp in France in a cattle car. Pal Herman managed to write a note and throw it from the train to a relative, asking to preserve his cello. Musicians played a short concert in the European Parliament on the instrument that was successfully rescued.

Roberta Metsola apologized to Corrie Herman following Grzegorz Braun's outbursts. Metsola assured that the European Parliament will always remember and uphold humanity.

“Auschwitz is a lesson for all mankind. The Holocaust did not arise in a vacuum, as the dehumanization of Jews began long before that. Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise again. The number of hate crimes against Jews in Europe has increased by 400%”, said the President of the European Parliament.

Sources from the Polish radio station RMF FM in the European Parliament reported that Braun could be deprived of his parliamentary salary for 60 days. This amounts to 21,000 euros (over 900,000 UAH). Additionally, the MEP faces a one-year ban on representing the European Parliament at conferences and forums.

Polish MEPs reacted to Grzegorz Braun's behavior. In particular, Lukasz Kohut sharply criticized him and called the politician a "disgusting creature."

It should be noted that until mid-January 2024, Grzegorz Braun was a member of the anti-Ukrainian and anti-European party "Confederation." The organization stripped Braun of his membership when he unilaterally decided to participate in the presidential elections. MEP Dariusz Joński believes that this party should be held accountable for the politician's actions, as it is due to them that he entered the European Parliament.

“The 'Confederation' should apologize for Braun. It is the one that brought him here. Braun has once again shown that he is not only a Russian idiot but also an anti-Semite. Disgusting behavior. Expelling him from the parliamentary chamber is the only correct decision”, wrote Dariusz Joński.

Additionally, MEP Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz called Braun a “Russian-Nazi agent.” She stated that she feels ashamed of the politician's behavior.

Furthermore, 57-year-old Grzegorz Braun is an opponent of the EU, an anti-Semite, and a Ukrainephobe. In 2022, he was the only member of the Sejm to oppose a resolution calling for the EU and NATO to assist Ukraine. In 2023, Braun removed a Christmas tree adorned with the Ukrainian flag and symbols from the Krakow court and threw it in the trash.

One of the most notorious scandals provoked by Braun occurred on December 12, 2023. The politician used a powder fire extinguisher to extinguish Hanukkah candles in the Polish Sejm. When attempts were made to stop him, he sprayed powder on people. Moreover, Braun stated from the Sejm podium that lighting the menorah is a “satanic act.”

Last June, Braun tore down the Ukrainian flag in Krakow, claiming that the symbolism was hanging in the wrong place. Additionally, Grzegorz Braun supported farmers' protests that blocked the Ukrainian border.