Pol EU parliamentarian Grzegorz Braun declared on July 10 that Auschwitz and its gas chambers were a fake, igniting outrage and prompting a formal investigation by the National Memory Institute (IPN).
BRAUN’S AUCHSWEG STATEMENTS
On 10 July, during a Radio Wnet interview, MEP Grzegorz Braun asserted that Auschwitz with gas chambers was a fake. The comments drew widespread anger. The Polish Sejm adopted a resolution later that month condemning the statements as especially disgusting and demanding strong condemnation, saying they undermine historical truth, the suffering of Holocaust victims, and the nation’s foundation of human‑dignity respect.
IPN INVESTIGATION INTO BRAUN’S STATEMENTS
Shortly after the interview, IPN prosecutors launched an investigation under Article 55 of the IPN Act, which allows fines or up to three years’ imprisonment for denial of crimes such as those committed by Nazis and communists. IPN informed the press that the investigation would conclude and that a request would be submitted to the European Parliament, via the National Prosecutor’s Office, to lift Braun’s immunity.
IPN: WAITED WEEKS FOR AUDIO RECORDING
Prosecutors said they formally requested Radio Wnet to provide the broadcast’s audio after gathering evidence, expecting a delay of several weeks. IPN states its first request was sent on 15 July, a follow‑up on 12 August, and the recording reached IPN on 21 August. Radio Wnet claims it received the notice on 18 August, sent the audio link the next day, and provided a DVD recording two days later.
BRAUN FACES COURT
At the end of July, the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office filed a charge sheet against Braun. The allegations include assault and insult of the director of the National Institute of Cardiology, vandalism of a Christmas tree and decorations valued at 1.4 k PLN owned by the Judges’ Associations Iustitia and Themis, damage to a sound system and electronic equipment worth about 2.5 k PLN at the German Historical Institute, failure to vacate the institute’s premises upon the director’s request, and public insults toward a religious community and a religious object during a session in the Polish Sejm.
POSIBLE LOSS OF MANDATE
Under electoral law, an MEP may lose his mandate if his right to be elected is lost, which occurs when a final court judgment convicts a person for a serious felony prosecuted by public indictment or a serious tax offense.
Source: Gazeta, **Category:** 30
