Polish authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into far-right lawmaker Grzegorz Braun following his inflammatory remarks questioning the existence of gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, The Associated Press reported on Friday.
Braun, a Member of the European Parliament with a history of controversial statements, asserted on Thursday that "such a thing as Auschwitz with its gas chambers is unfortunately a fake," during an interview with Poland's Wnet radio. The reporter reportedly terminated the interview immediately after the statement.
Braun's comments have ignited a furious backlash across Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk denounced the lawmaker's words as "a disgrace," emphasizing, "we must do everything so that no one in the world associates Poland with such people, such faces and such actions.”
Piotr Antoni Skiba, a spokesperson for the Warsaw district prosecutor's office, confirmed that a preliminary investigation is underway to assess Braun's potential denial of Nazi crimes, which is a criminal offense in Poland.
Separately, Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz Museum, announced his intention to file an independent complaint with prosecutors. Cywinski stated unequivocally that "denying the fact that gas chambers existed is not only a manifestation of antisemitism and an ideology of hatred; in Poland it is also a crime.”
This incident is not the first time that Braun has been involved in antisemitic controversy. In 2023, he garnered international attention for extinguishing Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament with a fire extinguisher.
Poland's parliament later voted to remove his immunity from prosecution in the wake of the incident.
In April of last year, Braun was charged with crimes including insulting people on religious grounds.
Despite his history, Braun was elected to the European Parliament in last year’s election. He also ran for president earlier this year, securing over 6% of the votes in the initial round.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, located in southern Poland under German occupation during World War II, served as the primary site for the Nazi regime's systematic extermination. An estimated 1.1 million people were murdered there, overwhelmingly Jews, alongside Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, gay individuals, and other victims.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)