In Poland, a deputy was deprived of part of his salary after comparing Israel to the Third Reich
A member of the Polish Sejm from the far-right Confederation of Freedom and Independence party, Konrad Berkowicz, will receive only half his salary for three months after comparing Israel to the Third Reich. This is reported by RMF24.
On April 14, during a speech in the Polish Sejm, Berkowicz accused Israel of genocide in the Middle East and of using banned phosphorus bombs, which are causing suffering to children. The parliamentarian also stated that “Israel’s attacks in the Middle East have already killed several dozen times more children than in the entire war in Ukraine.”
“Israel is committing genocide with particular cruelty before our eyes. Israel is the new Third Reich, and its flag should look exactly like this,” ‒ Conrad stated.
After these words, Berkovich demonstrated a modified Israeli flag, which instead of the Star of David depicted a swastika.
The US Ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, reacted to his actions, who on the same Tuesday took part in the March of the Living in Auschwitz – on the territory of the former German concentration camp.
“Shame, shame, shame on you! You may have noticed that we Jews are not so easy to suppress anymore, right? We defend ourselves with all our might without apology – we stand as a wall for our friends and know how to fight and defeat our enemies!”, ‒ Rose replied.
The Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Włodzimierz Czaszty, stated that for such statements the deputy could be financially punished.
“There is no and will be no place in the Polish parliament for symbols and messages that remind us of the ideology responsible for some of the greatest crimes in the history of mankind, as well as for anti-Semitism,” ‒ he said.
The Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office is currently assessing Berkowicz’s actions, in particular whether they fall under the qualification of public insult to the flag of a foreign state and insulting people because of their national, ethnic, racial or religious affiliation.
Konrad Berkowicz received the “highest” punishment provided for in the Sejm: for three months he will be paid only half of his deputy’s salary.
