Speaking outside Auschwitz, Polish MP says Jews have no place in the country

 

By World Israel News Staff

A Polish lawmaker sparked controversy over the weekend when he declared Jews have no place in Poland and condemned Warsaw for backing a comprehensive plan for combating antisemitism.

On Saturday, MP Grzegorz Braun, chief of the ultra-nationalist Confederation of the Polish Crown party, held a press conference in Oświęcim, near the Auschwitz death camp, castigating the Polish government’s decision to adopt a new five-year plan aimed at curbing anti-Jewish bigotry.

Braun argued that non-Poles have no place in the Polish Republic, urging Jews and others to go to “their own countries.”

“Poland is for Poles. Other nations have their own countries, including the Jews,” Braun said, warning that any measures facilitating a Jewish presence in the country were akin to “inviting Hannibal Lecter to move in next door.”

He vowed that if his party gained power, it would “scatter the International Auschwitz Council to the four winds.”

“The area of the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau is de facto an extraterritorial zone. It is no longer Polish territory.”

The far-right lawmaker then accused Jews of seeking special treatment by Poland, with the goal of dominating the country.

“Jews want to be super-humans in Poland, entitled to a better status, and the Polish police dance to their tune,” Braun continued.

Polish Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who also serves as prosecutor general, blasted Braun’s comments as “shameful” antisemitism.

“I will not leave this without a response,” said Zurek. “There is no place for antisemitism in Poland, and such statements cause significant damage to the Polish state internationally and within our country.”

“We will not allow anyone to express such views with impunity. We will pursue them resolutely. It is truly shameful for Poles that someone like this, in the 21st century, after what happened in Poland during World War II, is turning this place [Auschwitz] into some hideous political game.”

On Monday, Braun derided criticism of his comments as a “festival of ritual outrage and condemnation from politically correct press and party officials.”