Far-right party MP hears charges over menorah scandal
A Polish far-right MP who caused outrage in the country and abroad by putting out menorah lights with a fire extinguisher in parliament in December has been charged with insulting the religious belief of others, among other offences.
Szymon Banna, a spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, told PAP on Tuesday that Grzegorz Braun "was charged on April 9" as part of an investigation it was conducting.
On December 12 last year, during a ceremony in the parliament building, Braun had used a fire extinguisher to put out candles that had just been lit to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Banna added that other charges, aside from insulting the religious belief of others in the parliament building, had been made and that they referred to Braun's assault on and defamation of former health minister Lukasz Szumowski, who was a target for Braun's criticism of lockdown restrictions and vaccination drives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Further charges concerning property damage and disturbing the peace relate to an incident in which Braun disrupted a lecture by a Polish-Jewish Holocaust scholar.
Despite the charges, Braun "has not admitted to committing the alleged acts and has refused to provide any explanations," added Banna.
On December 17, the Sejm waived Braun's parliamentary immunity. (PAP)
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