Following the departure of Grzegorz Braun and MPs from the Confederation of the Polish Crown, there is talk about preserving the Confederation’s status as a parliamentary club and keeping the Deputy Marshal position within the group. A KO MP, Michał Szczerba, spoke on Radio Zet about maintaining the current line and ensuring that MPs could continue to participate in Sejm committees as before.
Problems of the Confederacy
During a Sejm ceremony, Grzegorz Braun used a powder fire extinguisher to douse Hanukkah candles. He later appeared on the Sejm stage as the session was chaired by Konfederacja Deputy Marshal Krzysztof Bosak. The proceedings were then taken over by Marshal Szymon Hołownia, who announced that Braun would be reported to prosecutors for disrupting a religious ceremony and that Braun faced disciplinary measures from the Presidium of the Sejm, including a temporary cut to his salary and allowances.
The Left Club filed a proposal to dismiss Bosak from the post of deputy chairman, arguing that Braun was allowed to speak after the disturbance and that his anti-Semitic remarks had not been adequately checked. They also argued that Bosak’s response was insufficient, which prompted Hołownia to intervene.
Braun has also been suspended from the Confederation Club and barred from speaking at the podium, with some voices in politics urging a more decisive move, including expulsion from the Club.
READ ALSO:
– Will Braun be expelled from the Confederation? A faction MP says no final decisions will be made in the coming days
— Braun’s remarks after extinguishing the Hanukkah candles and his apologies
– Controversy in the Sejm as Braun extinguishes the Hanukkah menorah and Hołownia says a prosecutor’s office review will be sought
Ultimatum for the Confederacy
The chair of the Polish-Israeli Parliamentary Group, MP Michał Szczerba (KO), indicated he still hopes the Confederation will reconsider its stance on the issue.
He stated that, regardless of Braun’s status or other Confederation members, the group was prepared to keep the Deputy Marshal out of the Confederation if necessary.
He added that the party was open to letting former Confederation members participate in committees in the same composition as before, but warned that a firm decision would be needed from the leadership; otherwise, he would back a left-wing motion to oppose the status quo, as he told Deputy Chairman Bosak.
Barefoot about disproportionate actions
Bosak underscored that the Confederation Club condemned Braun’s actions and suspended him. He argued that making a big deal about collective responsibility or pushing for the Deputy Marshal to resign would be excessive and petty. He framed Braun’s Sejm remarks after the disruption as a routine debate, while characterizing the Hanukkah incident as a scandal. He contested the left’s motion to dismiss him as inaccurate and said he rejected calls for censorship, insisting freedom of expression must be defended even when it is controversial.
He recalled past incidents, including a red paint protest at a church, noting that no one suggested firing Deputy Marshal Czarzasty. When asked about Braun’s claim that Jews are enemies of the Polish nation, Bosak defended the right to criticize not just Germans and Russians but also Jews, arguing that the line between criticism and anti-Semitism can be nuanced.
Asked why there is such emphasis on Hanukkah candles while Advent wreaths or nativity scenes are less prominent, Bosak called it a sign of political correctness and said it reflected broader tensions within the coalition.
When pressed about limits to Braun’s rhetoric that the Confederation should not tolerate, Bosak cited a controversial comment about Robert Biedroń, noting that expressions have boundaries but that the law provides a broad space for speech. He suggested that he would not personally use such expressions, but believed they fall within the scope of free expression, even though courts in Poland set limits on what can be prosecuted.
Asked if he would resign as marshal for the sake of free expression, Bosak replied that the group would not bow to public pressure or political correctness.
Many participants feel the Confederacy is at risk of bending to everyone’s demands. Bosak warned against that path and urged steadfastness.
Deputy Justice Minister Krzysztof Śmiszek, present in the studio, commented that Braun’s actions marked a moment of normalization for the Confederation in public life and a turning point for its role in the Sejm Presidium.
He warned that political maneuvering could return power to nationalist factions and that past tensions would likely shape the near future.
Wipler: Hołownia saved Braun
Przemysław Wipler emphasized on Polsat News that the Confederation acted quickly by suspending Braun from the club. Since he was not actively participating in club functions, there was no move to expel him at that moment.
Wipler described the later escalation as being driven by an ultimatum from Hołownia, who demanded Braun’s expulsion from the club. He noted that several Confederation members, including Sławomir Mentzen, attended a club meeting with plans to advance a motion to expel Braun.
Wipler argued that supporters cannot be persuaded that the Confederation functions as a club if it allows a colleague to be removed under pressure to protect positions. He called Braun’s behavior unacceptable and said Braun had been suspended indefinitely from club activities and barred from public speaking.
Wipler added that Bosak could not have known about the extinguisher incident during the meeting, and he dismissed calls to hold Bosak responsible as political and cynical.
ALSO CHECK:
— Hołownia seeks prosecutor involvement in Braun immunity questions. Bosak counters that Presidium membership should not affect this issue
— Braun scandal coverage and reactions from various pundits and politicians
— Mentzen comments on Hanukkah in the Sejm and the Marshal’s decision
— Reports of supporters in other cities reacting to the incident
– The coverage continues as the situation develops. [attribution: wPolityce]
Source: wPolityce