Grzegorz Braun, a far-right Polish lawmaker who was criticized after extinguishing a Hanukkah menorah in Warsaw last year, was elected to the European Parliament in this week’s election, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
Braun was a candidate for a Polish coalition of far-right parties called Confederation, Liberty and Independence, which came in as the third-largest party in the Eastern European country with 12.08% of the vote.
In December, Braun used a fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles in Warsaw’s parliament, injuring a woman attending the holiday ceremony who lost consciousness and was hospitalized.
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 replied, "Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed."
In January, Poland's parliament voted to remove his immunity from prosecution in the wake of the incident.
In April, Braun was charged with crimes including insulting people on religious grounds.
As part of his campaign for Sunday’s vote, Braun autographed fire extinguishers for his supporters, noted The Jewish Chronicle.
Last week, he released a campaign ad replete with antisemitic rhetoric, drawing censure from Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne.
The Hanukkah incident caused an uproar both in Poland and abroad. A poll taken after the incident found that 63% of Poles believe Braun should no longer serve as an MP, while 23% said he should remain in his seat and 14% said they do not have an opinion on the matter.