On Thursday, prosecutors summoned Braun as a suspect over a December 2023 incident in the lower house of Poland’s parliament (the Sejm), when he used a fire extinguisher to put out a Hanukkah menorah during a ceremonial lighting.
The case was made possible after the European Parliament agreed in May to lift Braun’s immunity, paving the way for him to be held accountable for the alleged offences.
As part of the same investigation led by the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, Braun also faces charges linked to incidents in 2022 and 2023. These include allegedly assaulting and insulting former Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski - whom Braun accused of being drunk while on duty as head of the National Institute of Cardiology - disrupting a lecture at the German Historical Institute, and damaging property at a court in Kraków.
Braun has denied all allegations and questioned their legitimacy.
Earlier this June, the European Parliament received an additional request to lift Braun’s immunity in connection with yet another incident, when he carried out a so-called “citizen’s arrest” of a gynecologist who had performed a legal abortion at a hospital in Oleśnica in southwestern Poland.
Prosecutors are also examining accusations of antisemitic behaviour, including allegedly insulting Jewish people and inciting hatred during remarks made by Braun in a presidential debate earlier this year.
“The excesses of MEP Grzegorz Braun, which point to suspected criminal acts, are not going unanswered by the prosecution,” Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar said in a statement.
“Today, MEP Braun was charged in connection with seven offences. In two cases, the descriptions and legal classifications were amended,” he added.
Prosecutors explained that the proedural steps involving Grzegorz Braun were the last planned actvities with his participation before filing the indictment.
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Source: IAR/PAP/X/@Adbodnar/@Prok_Okreg_Wawa