Far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun douses menorah in parliament

 


A far-right Polish lawmaker on Tuesday used a fire extinguisher to put out the candles in a Hanukkah menorah placed in the parliament lobby, a stunt that saw him ordered out of the assembly by the speaker of the lower chamber.

"This should have never happened," Szymon Holownia told reporters after expelling the lawmaker, Grzegorz Braun, to leave the plenary, adding that he would call for an investigation into the incident.

The ceremony for lighting the nine-branched candelabrum was held in the Polish parliament to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights, and was attended by rabbis and a Jewish music band.

Poland's TVN24 showed video of Braun using a red fire extinguisher to douse the candles, filling the area with smoke and fog from the device. The parliamentary proceedings were suspended.

"This should have never happened," Holownia told reporters after he ordered Braun to leave the session, adding that he would call for an investigation into the lawmaker's actions.

Poland's newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a disgrace and said such a thing should never be repeated. Tusk, a pro-European Union centrist, was elected on Monday, marking a reversal for Poland after years of conservative leadership. Tusk gave his inaugural speech to parliament Tuesday before Braun acted out.

Braun, a pro-Russian member of the Confederation party, has previously claimed that there's a plot to turn Poland into a "Jewish state."

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