Camilla Jessen
Grzegorz Braun is facing possible legal action after denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz.
Polish far-right Member of the European Parliament Grzegorz Braun is once again at the center of controversy after publicly denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, calling the Nazi extermination camp a “fake.”
His comments have triggered outrage and led to formal legal complaints.
Anna Maria Żukowska, head of the New Left parliamentary group, announced she is filing a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, arguing that Braun’s statements constitute a criminal act — the public denial of war crimes — which under Polish law carries a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.
“There is no room in Poland for denying the existence of the Auschwitz extermination camp and the crimes committed there by the German occupiers,” Żukowska told the Interia news site, as cited by TVP.
The comments came during an interview Braun gave to Radio Wnet, in which he stated, “Ritual murder is a fact and let’s say Auschwitz with gas chambers is a fake.”
The interviewer ended the discussion abruptly, saying, “there are certain limits.”
Braun continued by claiming that the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum’s narrative does not meet “historical-scientific” standards, and accused the museum of blocking further research into the site’s gas chambers.
He cited the controversial book Passovers of Blood by historian Ariel Toaff as a source.
Blood Libel Revisited
Braun’s mention of “ritual murder” refers to the long-debunked antisemitic trope known as blood libel — the false accusation that Jews used the blood of Christian children in religious rituals.
This claim has been historically used to incite violence against Jewish communities and is widely discredited by scholars.
Although Toaff’s 2007 book explored historical accounts of the myth, he later clarified that his findings were misrepresented.
Political Immunity Revoked
Braun is currently facing multiple charges in Poland.
Just last week, prosecutors formally indicted him on seven counts, including disrupting a Hanukkah ceremony in the Polish parliament by extinguishing a menorah, an act that drew national and international condemnation.
Although Braun previously enjoyed immunity as an MEP, the European Parliament voted in May to strip him of that protection, allowing Polish authorities to proceed with legal action.
Braun, who leads the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown party, ran for president earlier this year and finished fourth with 6% of the vote.
He is also under investigation for remarks made during an April 28 presidential debate, where he questioned whether “Jews have too much, far too much to say in Polish matters,” sparking further accusations of antisemitism and incitement of hatred.
