summary of incident
Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz from Konfederacja sparked controversy in the Polish parliament after displaying a modified Israeli flag featuring a swastika instead of the Star of David on Holocaust Remembrance Day on 14th april 2026. Berkowicz was deputy chair of Parliamentary Ethics Committee in 2023-2025.
Details of incident
During a parliamentary session, Berkowicz accused Israel of committing genocide and compared the country to Nazi Germany. At the end of his speech, he unfolded a paper version of the Israeli flag with a swastika placed at its centre. MPs in the chamber reacted with shouts of “scandal,” while Speaker of the Parliament Włodzimierz Czarzasty immediately criticised the display, stating that showing a swastika in the Polish parliament “cannot be justified in any way.”
Another MP Sławomir Ćwik argued that Berkowicz’s actions could constitute a criminal offence related to the public display of Nazi symbols. Parliamentary officials indicated that the case could also be reviewed by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee.
Context of incident
The lawmaker, a senior figure in the libertarian-nationalist political right, has repeatedly drawn criticism over inflammatory public statements.
