The Polish Sejm Speaker condemned MP Konrad Berkowicz for displaying a swastika on an Israeli flag during a plenary session on Yom HaShoah.
Sejm Condemns Berkowicz’s Actions
Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty strongly condemned the “scandalous behavior” of MP Konrad Berkowicz, who displayed Nazi-era symbolism during a speech on Tuesday, April 16th. The Sejm’s Chancellery stated the actions gravely violate the dignity of the Sejm and the principles of parliamentary debate.
Swastika Displayed on Yom HaShoah
The incident occurred on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), commemorating the millions of Jews murdered by the Nazis. The Sejm Chancellery emphasized that using Nazi symbolism is “particularly outrageous.”
Instrumental Use of Symbolism Deemed Unacceptable
The Chancellery further stated that the “instrumental use” of such symbolism in public debate represents a “flagrant transgression of the limits of permissible speech.” Czarzasty affirmed that the Sejm will not tolerate “symbols and messages referring to the ideology responsible for some of the greatest crimes in human history and antisemitism.”
Possible Penalties and Legal Review
The Sejm Speaker has decided to submit a motion to the Sejm Presidium to punish the MP based on regulations concerning situations where a member obstructs the work of the chamber and violates its dignity. Financial penalties may be imposed. Simultaneously, the Sejm Chancellery’s legal services are analyzing the possibility of further legal action, including notifying law enforcement authorities on suspicion of committing a crime under Article 137, paragraph 2 of the Penal Code (public defamation of a foreign state flag) and Article 256 of the Penal Code (promoting Nazism).
Berkowicz’s Remarks and Flag Display
During Tuesday’s Sejm session, Berkowicz began his speech by addressing Israeli attacks in the Middle East and their impact on fuel prices. He then stated, “But how do the children feel, of whom already many times more have died than during the entire war in Ukraine? Well, the Jews are using a banned phosphorus bomb that absorbs oxygen from the air and leads to their death by suffocation.”
Berkowicz continued, stating, “More smoke from this bomb gets into the lungs and burns them from the inside. They suffocate and burn from the inside at the same time. Tens of thousands of women and children. If a child is lucky enough not to suffocate, the white phosphorus will stick to the patch, to the handle and burn through the tissues to the bone.”
He then assessed that “Israel is committing genocide on our watch with particular cruelty” and concluded that “Israel is the new Third Reich.” He then displayed an Israeli flag with a swastika instead of the Star of David.
