A far-right MP and prominent coronavirus conspiracy theorist has so far been fined 20,000 zloty (€4,300) for failing to comply with the obligation to wear a face mask in parliament.
The speaker of the Sejm, Elżbieta Witek, has pointed out that Grzegorz Braun, one of the leaders of the Confederation (Konfederacja) party, is “fully aware that he is constantly not following the regulations…and disrupting the parliamentary session by refusing to wear a face mask.”
But Braun argues that his actions are “consistent with Polish law”. A crowdfunding campaign launched by his supporters has already raised almost 400,000 zloty (€87,000).
Braun has repeatedly condemned coronavirus restrictions, which he and fellow Confederation MPs have declared “illegal”. He has likened the compulsory wearing of masks to how the Nazis forced Jews to wear armbands as a first step on the way to ghettoisation and then death.
The MP has on a number of occasions been removed from the parliamentary chamber by the speaker for refusing to wear a mask. “You are breaking the law,” claimed Braun on one such occasion, accusing Witek of preventing him from carrying out his parliamentary duties.
The speaker, however, argued that only MPs who present a valid medical justification can be exempted from the obligation to wear a face mask in the chamber. For his repeated noncompliance, Braun has received fines amounting to 20,000 złoty so far, reports the Rzeczpospolita daily.
A radical-nationalist group entered an orphanage seeking to stop Covid vaccines for children.
Police have increased protection of vaccination points following a growing number of increasingly aggressive actions by anti-vaxxers, often with far-right links https://t.co/Bzic9tZBYz
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 5, 2021
The far-right MP – who is also known for his long history of antisemitic conspiracy theories – is facing further financial repercussions, notes Gazeta Wyborcza.
Last month, speaking in parliament, he said that “those responsible for the current situation are war criminals” and shouted “You will hang!” at the health minister, Adam Niedzielski.
After the incident, Witek notified the prosecutor’s office and the presidium of the Sejm decided to impose the highest possible punishment, depriving him of half a year of his MP’s salary, 63,000 złoty (€13,700) in total.
Poland’s health minister is receiving additional security due to the threat of anti-vaccine groups.
Last week, a far-right leader and prominent Covid conspiracy theorist warned the minister in parliament that he “will hang” https://t.co/oIRjefPnjD
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 22, 2021
Some, however, are concerned that the treatment of Braun is making him into a martyr for the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination movement, which has been growing in strength over recent months in Poland.
“The fines are only making him more convincing to the anti-face-covering and anti-vax movements,” Paweł Poncyljusz, an MP for the centrist Civic Platform (PO), told Rzeczpospolita. “He can prove this way that he stands by his beliefs.”
A crowdfunding campaign launched last month after Braun’s threat against the health minister has so far raised just over 393,000 zloty to support the far-right leader against the “witch-hunt” he is facing.
"Jews are behind the pandemic," chanted the crowd at an anti-vaccine protest in Poland.
Separately, the far-right Confederation party, which sits in parliament, shared a video of a supporter saying she “does not want Jewry” in Poland https://t.co/XzqIDGzQU3
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 19, 2021
Confederation has, like many other far-right groups in Europe, been an opponent of Covid restrictions. Its leaders have appeared at anti-lockdown protests, and the party’s contingent of 11 MPs have at times refused to comply with face-covering rules in parliament.
Earlier this year, Braun and three fellow Confederation MPs notified prosecutors that the government had, in their view, carried out criminal actions in its response to the pandemic.
In a separate incident, Braun forced his way into the office of the head of Poland’s Office for Registration of Medicinal Products and demanded access to documents relating to Covid vaccines.
Main image credit: Krzysztof Kurek/Sejm RP (under CC BY 2.0)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
