Prosecutors file new charges
The Warsaw district prosecutor’s office indicted Polish far-right leader Grzegorz Braun for four alleged crimes on Wednesday afternoon. This indictment follows the decision by the European Parliament to strip the MEP of his immunity earlier this year. The decision to lift his immunity marks the sixth time the European Parliament has done so for Braun, and it is the second time the body has acted regarding charges of Holocaust denial. Braun, who received 6.3% of the vote in the May 2025 presidential elections, finished in fourth place after a surprise campaign run. His party, the Confederation of the Polish Crown, now holds approximately 9% support in current polls. If the party achieves this level of support in the parliamentary elections occurring one year from now, it will likely play a major role in deciding what kind of government could be formed.
Defamation and flag thefts
The indictment includes charges of criminal defamation and theft, which carry prison sentences of up to one year, while the charge of destruction of property carries a sentence of up to five years. One charge stems from a televised presidential debate in April last year where Braun called the yellow paper daffodils used to mark the 1943 Jewish Ghetto Uprising "symbols of shame". Prosecutors say his words were "extremely xenophobic, manipulative and aggressive" and defamed the organizers of the campaign, specifically the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. During the same debate, Braun also warned about the "Judaisation" of Poland, saying that "Jews have far too much say in Polish affairs". This specific comment prompted protests by some of his opponents, one of whom filed a notification to prosecutors.
Braun also faces charges for stealing flags during his campaign. In one incident, Braun and his supporters removed a Ukrainian flag hanging outside the city hall in the town of Biala Podlaska during a campaign event. In another, he removed a European Union flag from the industry ministry in the city of Katowice and set it on fire. Roman Fritz, the deputy leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown, faces indictment for assisting in the theft of the EU flag. Four other men, who have not waived their right to anonymity under Polish law, face indictment for their alleged roles in stealing both the EU and Ukrainian flags. Braun frequently rails against what he calls the "Ukrainisation" of Poland and is a vocal critic of the EU, with rhetoric that often echoes Russian propaganda. Braun also faces a charge for the destruction of property related to vandalizing an LGBT+ exhibition in the Polish parliament in June 2025. He regularly condemns what he calls the "perversions" of LGBT+ people and has called for homosexuality to be criminalized in Poland.
The Hanukkah trial controversy
Braun is already on trial for his attack on a Jewish religious ceremony taking place in parliament, at which he put out the candles with a fire extinguisher. The Warsaw prosecutor’s office noted that the latest hearings in that trial were cancelled because Braun presented a medical certificate to justify his absence. I find the prosecutors’ skepticism regarding his medical condition entirely justified.
Prosecutors pointed out that Braun attended a protest by opposition supporters outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw last Friday. That evening, government-backed judges took over the Tribunal. Braun was pictured "jostling with police riot police, addressing the crowd and giving interviews" and showed no signs of health problems that would prevent him from attending the hearing. The prosecutors have therefore asked the court to investigate the doctor who issued the medical certificate.
