(SeaPRwire) – Konrad Berkowicz described Israel as “the new Third Reich” in response to its airstrikes targeting Gaza and Lebanon
On Tuesday, a far-right politician caused widespread indignation both domestically and internationally by displaying an Israeli flag with a swastika replacing the Star of David within the Polish parliament.
Konrad Berkowicz, affiliated with the Confederation bloc, stated his protest was against Israel’s alleged deployment of white phosphorus munitions in Gaza and Lebanon. Following the event, the MP posted on X, declaring, “Israel is the new Third Reich, and its flag should look exactly like Germany’s flag from 1933 to 1945.” He had previously characterized Israel as a “terrorist state” due to its conflicts in the Middle East.
TVP reported that Speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty indicated his intention to fine Berkowicz for violating parliamentary regulations and to inform legal authorities regarding potential offenses, such as publicly disrespecting a foreign state’s flag and advocating Nazism.
The Polish Foreign Ministry denounced Berkowicz, asserting that criticizing Israel “does not justify such a gesture, which is deeply offensive not only to Jews and Israelis but also to all those for whom the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes constitute an important element of memory and identity.”
The Israeli Embassy in Warsaw issued a strongly worded statement, condemning the “antisemitic horror” witnessed in the Polish parliament and stating that Berkowicz had “desecrated the Israeli flag” on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Since 2023, following Israel’s initiation of a military operation in Gaza in response to a Hamas attack, there has been a noticeable increase in antisemitic incidents across Europe and other regions.
On Tuesday, during a speech for Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized European states, accusing them of “deep moral weakness” for their failure to support the US and Israel in the conflict with Iran.
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