Overview
- Konrad Berkowicz, a far-right lawmaker, displayed a paper Israeli flag with a swastika during Tuesday’s Yom HaShoah session and called Israel the “new Third Reich” while alleging genocide in Gaza.
- Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty rebuked the stunt on the spot and moved to impose a financial penalty while examining a referral to prosecutors for possible crimes.
- The Israeli Embassy condemned what it called an antisemitic act, Poland’s foreign ministry called the gesture deeply offensive, and the U.S. ambassador denounced it as survivors marked the March of the Living at Auschwitz.
- Polish law bans promoting Nazi symbols under Article 256 of the Penal Code, which can carry up to three years in prison, and officials are weighing whether Berkowicz’s display meets the threshold for charges.
- Jewish civic leaders urged decisive action and noted Berkowicz’s history of provocation, warning that repeated incidents by far-right figures erode public safety and Poland’s diplomatic standing.