Polish Prosecutors Probe Far-Right MEP for Denying Auschwitz Gas Chambers

WARSAW, Poland — Polish prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into far-right lawmaker Grzegorz Braun after he described the gas chambers at Auschwitz as a “fake” during a radio interview.

Braun, a member of the European Parliament and frequent critic of Jewish religious practices, made the inflammatory claim on Thursday during a broadcast with Poland’s Wnet radio. The interviewer ended the conversation immediately after his statement.

“Ritual murder is a fact, and such a thing as Auschwitz with its gas chambers is unfortunately a fake,” Braun said, according to Polish news agency PAP.

Legal and Public Backlash

The Warsaw district prosecutor’s office confirmed it is examining whether Braun violated laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. Under Polish law, denying Nazi crimes is a criminal offense.

Auschwitz Museum Director Piotr Cywinski also announced he will file a formal complaint, stating: “Denying the existence of gas chambers is not only antisemitic and hateful—it’s a crime in Poland.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned Braun’s remarks, calling them “a disgrace.” He urged Polish citizens and international observers to reject what he described as dangerous revisionism. “We must do everything so that no one in the world associates Poland with such people, such faces, and such actions,” he said.

Braun’s Controversial Record

Braun has previously drawn criticism for antisemitic behavior. In 2023, he disrupted a Hanukkah celebration inside the Polish parliament by extinguishing menorah candles with a fire extinguisher. Despite his extremist views, Braun ran for president earlier this year, securing more than 6% of the vote in the first round.

On Thursday, he appeared in Jedwabne on the anniversary of the 1941 massacre in which Polish villagers burned their Jewish neighbors alive. Braun and a group attempted to block vehicles leaving the site, including one carrying Poland’s chief rabbi. Police intervened to ensure their departure.

Historical Context

Nazi Germany murdered approximately 1.1 million people at the Auschwitz death camp, most of them Jews, using gas chambers and industrial methods. Victims also included Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Auschwitz remains a symbol of the Holocaust and a central piece of Holocaust education worldwide.

Some far-right voices in Poland have called for excavations in Jedwabne, suggesting Germans forced locals to commit the massacre—despite extensive historical evidence to the contrary. Braun reiterated that demand on Thursday.

For author: Staff News
Courtesy of: Forbes
Source: AP