Far-right Polish politician who doused Hanukkah candles wins EU Parliament seat

Grzegorz Braun, a controversial far-right politician who extinguished candles on a menorah lit for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at the Polish parliament last December, has won a seat in the European Parliament elections.

Braun was a candidate for Confederation, a far-right party with a vocal anti-Ukraine stance, which had its best result ever, coming third with 12.1 percent — in line with an EU-wide surge of support for nationalist, anti-bloc parties.

Last December, Braun disrupted an event with members of the Jewish community, taking an extinguisher and walking across the lobby of parliament to where the menorah candles were, creating a white cloud and forcing security guards to rush people out of the area.

He then took to the podium in the chamber where he described Hanukkah as “satanic” and said he was restoring “normality.”

Asked later if he was ashamed of his action, he said: “Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed.”

Poland’s parliament voted to remove Braun’s immunity from prosecution after the incident in December caused international outrage. He was charged with crimes including insulting people on religious grounds.

Polish MP Grzegorz Braun extinguishes Jewish Hanukkah candles at Poland's parliament. pic.twitter.com/8EcvhvRU8R

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 12, 2023

The lawmaker, who has made pro-Russian statements in the past, also faced charges at the time in relation to other incidents, including dumping a Christmas tree decorated in the colors of the European Union and Ukraine in the trash and damaging a microphone during a talk by a Holocaust historian.

Provisional results in the European Parliament election on Sunday night showed centrist parties holding a majority, but gains for right-wing and far-right parties.