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Far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun douses menorah in parliament
A far-right Polish lawmaker on Tuesday used a fire extinguisher to put out the candles in a Hanukkah menorah placed in the parliament lobby, a stunt that saw him ordered out of the assembly by the speaker of the lower chamber.
“This should have never happened,” Szymon Holownia told reporters after expelling the lawmaker, Grzegorz Braun, to leave the plenary, adding that he would call for an investigation into the incident.
The ceremony for lighting the nine-branched candelabrum was held in the Polish parliament to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights, and was attended by rabbis and a Jewish music band.
Slawomir Kaminski/Agencja Wyborcza.pl/REUTERS
Poland’s TVN24 showed video of Braun using a red fire extinguisher to douse the candles, filling the area with smoke and fog from the device. The parliamentary proceedings were suspended.
“This should have never happened,” Holownia told reporters after he ordered Braun to leave the session, adding that he would call for an investigation into the lawmaker’s actions.
Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a disgrace and said such a thing should never be repeated. Tusk, a pro-European Union centrist, was elected on Monday, marking a reversal for Poland after years of conservative leadership. Tusk gave his inaugural speech to parliament Tuesday before Braun acted out.
Braun, a pro-Russian member of the Confederation party, has previously claimed that there’s a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state.”
Antisemitism has been on the rise in Europe and the U.S. amid the war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented terror attack on Oct. 7.
“It can’t happen again, it’s a disgrace,” Tusk said as he waited for the parliament to approve his new pro-EU government, a vote that was delayed amid the chaos triggered by the incident, which was condemned by all parties except for Braun’s Confederation.
“SHAME. A Polish Parliament member just did this. Few minutes after we celebrated Hanukkah there,” Israel’s ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne said on social media, posting a video of the stunt.
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Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to release her medical history and records Saturday, as her campaign is now planning to put pressure on former President Donald Trump to release his own.
The report will say the 59-year-old Harris has the physical and mental resiliency to serve as president, according to a senior Harris aide.
It is unknown yet how detailed Harris’ records will be, but her campaign views the release as an opportunity to turn the conversation towards the physical health and mental acuity of her opponent, the 78-year-old Trump. Harris’ advisers argue they can contrast her age and Trump’s — daring him to disclose more recent information.
Harris did not release her medical records during the 2020 campaign. In November 2023, Trump posted a letter from his doctor of osteopathic medicine, Bruce Aronwald, that said he had been examined in September 2023 and that his “overall health is excellent.” No specifics on his vitals or medications were shared.
In an interview with CBS News in August, Trump said he would “gladly” release his medical records and that he recently had a medical exam and had a “perfect score.”
If elected in November, Trump would be the oldest president in U.S. history by the end of his term.
The Harris campaign’s attempt to highlight Trump’s age mirrors the Republican campaign’s approach to President Biden while he was the candidate. When Biden was still running, Trump’s campaign would often post clips of him stumbling up the stairs of Air Force One, or of his verbal gaffes.
Biden left the 2024 race in July after Democratic infighting and skepticism he could serve a full second term, which was spurred by a June debate performance where he appeared to show signs of his age, 81, by speaking with a hoarse voice and stumbling through answers.
On social media, Harris’ campaign has been leaning into references to Trump’s age, pointing out moments where Trump slurs his words or meanders.
“Americans are tired of your lies and slur-filled delusions. It’s getting…old,” the Kamala HQ X account posted in August.
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