The European Parliament stripped Grzegorz Braun of his parliamentary immunity for insulting the flags of Ukraine and the EU
The European Parliament adopted a decision to deprive the parliamentary immunity of the representative of Poland, Grzegorz Braun. The politician, who represents the Confederation of the Polish Crown party, found himself at the center of a high-profile international scandal due to his systemic illegal actions. The vote was held at the request of the Polish prosecutor’s office, which is investigating several criminal cases related to the activities of the deputy.
According to the investigation materials, Grzegorz Braun is accused of destroying the national flags of Ukraine and the European Union, as well as symbols of the LGBT community directly in the premises of the Sejm.
A separate charge is public denial of the crimes of genocide committed by the Third Reich during World War II. According to the procedure, lifting immunity allows law enforcement agencies to begin full-fledged procedural prosecution of the politician.
“We must clearly demonstrate that the status of a deputy is not an indulgence for vandalism or hate speech”, — the representative of the Legal Affairs Committee emphasized during the meeting.
This position of European colleagues confirms zero tolerance for manifestations of xenophobia and disrespect for the state symbols of partner countries. The decision to lift immunity was virtually unanimous, which emphasizes the seriousness of the offenses.
“The decision to lift immunity was supported unanimously, which indicates the seriousness of the charges brought and the inadmissibility of such behavior in European institutions”, — he emphasized.
The politician has previously become the object of attention of law enforcement agencies. In particular, the European Parliament has already voted twice to lift his immunity in other cases. This concerns the incident with the destruction of Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament and the attack on a gynecologist in the city of Olesznica. In addition, Grzegorz Braun is known for publicly burning the EU flag in Katowice and tearing down Ukrainian symbols in the city of Biała Podlaska.
The deprivation of immunity paves the way for a judicial review of all episodes of the deputy’s activities. In Polish society and international circles, such steps are regarded as a necessary measure to protect democratic values and counteract radicalism.
