Polish MEP Calls Auschwitz Gas Chambers 'Fake', Faces Legal Action

The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison under Polish law.

Anna Maria Żukowska, a senior member of the New Left party, and head of the Left parliamentary group, said she has referred the case to the prosecutor's office. " She added there was no place in Poland for denying the crimes committed by the German occupiers at Auschwitz.

Braun's Controversial Claims and Allegations
Braun repeated the comments in an interview Friday with a private radio station. He said "ritual murder is a fact" and referred to Auschwitz, with gas chambers, as "a fake," in the discussion.

He drew further criticism of the official historical narrative of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, for being 'inconsistent with scientific criteria'.

He cited the book Passovers of Blood by an Italian academic, Ariel Toaff, as evidence for the discredited theory that Jews engage in ritual murder.

The book was controversial upon its release in 2007, and Toaff subsequently said that his research had been misunderstood. The blood libel, or the allegation of ritual murder, is an ancient and long-disproven antisemitic myth that Jews murdered Christians to use their blood in religious rituals.

After Braun expressed his views, the interview was abruptly ended by the host, who stressed that there were limits to what is acceptable to discuss in public.

Legal Troubles Mount for Braun
Braun is facing legal scrutiny for a number of his activities. Last week, he was charged by prosecutors with seven counts, one of which is for extinguishing Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament, which drew condemnation across the board.

Because he had been an MEP, authorities had previously been unable to prosecute him, but this all changed after MEPs voted in May to lift his immunity. This judgment has now cleared the way for a court case in Poland.

Braun, who chairs the far-right party "Confederation of the Polish Crown," ran in this year's presidential election. Though a fringe figure, he came in fourth place with 6 percent in the first round — a performance that caught many commentators off guard.

Braun is also being investigated for antisemitic comments he made at the presidential debate on 28 April. In that debate, sponsored by a national publication, Braun said "the Jews are trying to force Germans to grieve in a Jewish way," adding that "Jews have too much, far too much to say in Polish matters," which many interpreted as hate speech.

Amid the piling legal and political hammer, Braun has taken a new position in court and his current response is likely to heighten his notoriety and soon could prove that he could be formally prosecuted.