Grzegorz Brown, one of the leaders of the far-right Polish party "Confederation", caused a stir today (Tuesday) when he arrived with a fire extinguisher and extinguished the Chabad menorah that was placed in the Polish parliament.
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Minutes earlier, a menorah lighting ceremony was held by Chabad emissary Rabbi Shalom Ber Stambler, with the participation of senior officials from the Polish government.
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Brown's action caused shock among members of parliament and guests who attended the ceremony.
Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk condemned the act: "This is unacceptable. This cannot happen again. This is a disgrace!""
MP Piotr Gilinski of the Law and Justice party said: "This goes against basic values. We do not agree with this. This is not only a religious attack, but also an interpersonal one. There were also small children there. We are crossing new boundaries in politics.".
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The new speaker of the Polish parliament, Szymon Holownia, expressed shock and said that he would file a complaint against Brown and even initiate significant proceedings against him. "Today, something completely scandalous happened on the grounds of the parliament. Brown disrupted the Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony. This is a slap in the face to the Polish parliament. This is stupid and unwise behavior by a member of parliament. There will be no tolerance for anti-Semitism, deviance or racism as long as I am the speaker. What happened is simply disgusting. This is a major Jewish holiday, these people were invited here. This is an act of rudeness, aggression and stupidity. Nothing like this has happened here for a long time, and it will never happen again.".
Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yaakov Levena wrote on Twitter: "A far-right Polish member of parliament just violently extinguished the menorah we lit in the parliament. Just minutes earlier we held a moving ceremony there. Banish the darkness, now!".
