Polish MEP Faces Investigation After Calling Auschwitz Gas Chambers a ‘Fake’

Polish authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into far-right Member of the European Parliament Grzegorz Braun after he questioned the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz during a radio interview. The remarks, made on July 10 during a broadcast on Poland’s Radio Wnet, have sparked widespread condemnation and legal scrutiny.

Braun, known for his history of controversial and inflammatory statements, claimed: “The phenomenon of Auschwitz with its gas chambers, unfortunately, is a fake.” The host reportedly ended the interview immediately after the comment.

The statement triggered an outcry across Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the remarks as shameful, stating, “We must do everything to ensure that no one in the world associates Poland with such people, such faces, and such actions.”

Prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba of the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine whether Braun’s statements constitute Holocaust denial, which is a criminal offense in Poland.

Separately, Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz Museum, said he would file an independent complaint with prosecutors. “Denying the existence of gas chambers is not only an expression of anti-Semitism and hate ideology, but also a crime in Poland,” Cywiński emphasized.

Braun has a history of incendiary acts. In 2023, he drew international criticism after extinguishing Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament using a fire extinguisher—a move widely condemned as anti-Semitic.

The incident has reignited concerns about far-right rhetoric in Poland and the need for firm legal and societal responses to Holocaust denial.