Polish lawmaker says he is being punished for denouncing Israeli genocide

A Polish lawmaker who recently displayed an Israeli flag in which the Star of David was replaced with a Nazi swastika said Friday that he is being punished for speaking against Israeli genocide.

"I have just been punished by the Marshal of the Sejm (parliament speaker), Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, for my recent speech on the genocide being carried out by Israel in the Middle East," Konrad Berkowicz wrote on the US social media platform X.

He noted that in addition to the financial penalty, the Czarzasty has also filed a request against him to the Prosecutor's Office after he sparked outrage in parliament with a swastika-altered Israeli flag.

"I am not afraid of this and have no intention of shirking it -- I will defend myself. No repression from state authorities will shut my mouth," underlined Berkowicz.

He added: "Let us not stay silent and pretend that they are the victims today. No, they are not. They are the perpetrators of the genocide of innocent children, women, and men in Gaza."

Earlier this week, Berkowicz held up the altered flag during a speech in the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, where he criticized the Israeli government and called for Poland to sever ties with Israel over Israeli crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.