Far-right lawmaker extinguishes Hanukkah candles in Polish parliament

Far-right lawmaker Grzegorz Braun disrupted a Hanukkah ceremony in the Polish parliament, sparking outrage. Braun, a pro-Russian member of the Confederation party, extinguished candles on a menorah and spread smoke and white powder. The speaker of the parliament excluded Braun and reported him to prosecutors. Major political forces, the U.S. Ambassador, and the Catholic Church condemned the incident and pledged to uphold tolerance. The candles were lit again, and the incident highlighted the need for more awareness of the importance of tolerance.

A far-right lawmaker in the Polish parliament on Tuesday extinguished candles on a menorah that were lit for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, creating disruption and scandal as a new pro-EU government was beginning its work.

All major political forces quickly denounced the unprecedented incident by Grzegorz Braun, one of the most controversial lawmakers in parliament, and said there would be no tolerance for antisemitic and xenophobic behavior in the parliament.

Mr. Braun, a pro-Russian member of the Confederation party, has in the past falsely claimed that there is a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state" and has called for homosexuality to be criminalised.

The speaker of the parliament, Szymon Holownia, called the act “absolutely scandalous” and excluded Mr. Braun from the day's parliamentary session, expressing hopes that “he will not return soon.” He said he was reporting him to prosecutors.

The parliament also slapped the highest possible financial penalty on Braun, forcing him to lose half of three months of his salary and per diems for half a year.

“Poland is home to all religions,” Mr. Holownia said.

According to video footage of the incident, Mr. Braun grabbed a red fire extinguisher and put out candles on the menorah. A cloud of smoke, haze and white powder filled the area.