The trial of far-right leader Grzegorz Braun has begun in Warsaw. He is accused of crimes relating to four incidents – the most infamous among them his attack on a celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in parliament in December 2023 – and could face prison if convicted.
Braun, who has a long history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, declared in court that he was facing trial because he had “dared to defend myself against Jewish supremacy”. Dozens of his supporters gathered outside to show their support.
The case has taken so long to come to trial because prosecutors needed first to apply for Braun to be stripped of legal immunity by Poland’s parliament and then, after he was subsequently elected to the European Parliament, repeat the process. He was finally charged and indicted in July 2025.
In the meantime, Braun has revelled in his notoriety. Standing in this year’s presidential elections, he used as his logo an image of the fire extinguisher with which he attempted to put out Hanukkah candles in parliament.
While he began the campaign as a rank outsider, Braun ended up finishing fourth in the election, winning 6.3% of the vote.
n relation to the Hanukkah incident, Braun has been indicted for the crimes of insulting a religious group, malicious interference with a religious act and offending religious feelings, as well as assaulting and causing harm to the health of a woman who had been involved in the ceremony.
Offending religious sentiment is a crime in Poland, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to two years. The law is quite often invoked, though normally for alleged insults against the feelings of Catholics, who make up the majority of Poland’s population.
Addressing the court today, Braun declared: “I am accused by Jews who are ‘professional Jews.’ That is, they represent various formations and associations. I have been ritually cursed and damned.”
“I am standing before this court because I dared to defend myself against oppression and the ritual manifestation of Jewish supremacy,” he added, quoted by news service.
