TikTok recently took down six videos from Grzegorz Braun, a Polish far-right politician who made headlines after spraying a fire extinguisher on Hanukkah candles inside Poland’s parliament.
The ‘Never Again’ Association, an anti-racism group, flagged the videos and said this is just a small sample of the kind of content Braun posts.
Braun used to be seen as a fringe figure, but now he’s a key player in Polish right-wing politics. His party, Confederation of the Polish Crown, polls in the double digits, giving it real influence in future coalition talks. Still, his antisemitic views and attention-grabbing stunts have sparked talk of banning his party. The leader of the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) flat-out refuses to work with him.
Rafal Pankowski from ‘Never Again’ says Braun’s videos are just the start. There’s a flood of this stuff online—openly hostile, mostly toward Jews, but also targeting other minorities. What really worries Pankowski is the way these videos glorify hate and even encourage violence.
TikTok confirmed it pulled some of Braun’s videos for breaking hate speech rules. Braun’s party didn’t answer requests for comment. Braun himself claims he’s defending Catholic Poland from Jewish and Ukrainian influence.
‘Never Again’ has flagged even more of Braun’s videos to TikTok.
Braun has a long record of stoking outrage. He’s gone on antisemitic rants outside Auschwitz, torn down Ukrainian flags, and destroyed exhibits about LGBT rights. These actions have horrified many Poles but also brought him a lot of attention.
Braun serves as a Member of the European Parliament, but the legislature stripped him of his immunity. Now, Polish prosecutors have charged him with seven crimes, including public disorder and offending religious feelings.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
