Polish member of EU parliament sanctioned for disrupting moment of silence for Holocaust victims

A Polish MEP who disrupted a moment of silence for victims of the Holocaust at the European Union Parliament has been suspended from plenary activity for 30 days.

During the official Holocaust commemoration at the European Parliament on January 29, Grzegorz Braun of the far-right Confederation party disrupted the moment of silence by yelling twice in English, “Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.”

“Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.”

Poland’s MEP, Grzegorz Braun, was expelled from the EU Parliament today for daring to speak these words—calling out the hypocrisy and double standards of its members. pic.twitter.com/I7Fj0pwadd

— sarah (@sahouraxo) January 29, 2025

At the time, Braun was expelled from the chamber when the moment of silence ended — a decision that was applauded by participants.

EU President Roberta Metsola has now also imposed a 30-day penalty on Braun, saying his disruptive actions and improper behavior “inflicted severe damage on the dignity and reputation of parliament.” Braun is suspended from participating in all plenary activities of parliament and has forfeited his daily subsistence allowance. The penalty, which went into effect on March 10, was publicly announced yesterday.

Braun was also suspended from participating in next year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day memorial session at the European Parliament, the announcement says.

The outburst was not the first for Braun in a diplomatic forum. In December 2023, he disrupted a Hanukkah event at the Polish parliament, taking a fire extinguisher to the menorah candles and forcing security guards to rush people out of the area.