Far-right Polish parliamentarian Konrad Berkowicz ignited widespread backlash after referring to Israel as the “new Third Reich” and presenting a doctored Israeli flag featuring a swastika during a speech in parliament.

Addressing lawmakers just hours before the annual March of the Living at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Berkowicz accused Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza and echoed unverified allegations regarding the use of phosphorus weapons against civilians. He also drew comparisons between child casualties in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, while recounting graphic depictions of suffering before revealing the altered flag.

Fellow lawmakers quickly condemned the act, with Deputy Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty stating that displaying a swastika in the Polish parliament is “in no way justified.”

Another legislator, Sławomir Ćwik, urged that the matter be referred to prosecutors, pointing to Polish laws that prohibit the promotion of Nazi symbols and incitement to hatred.

The controversy also prompted a response from US Ambassador Thomas Rose, who wrote “SHAME SHAME SHAME on YOU!!” on social media.

Berkowicz has drawn criticism in the past for inflammatory and antisemitic rhetoric, including multiple social media posts in recent years accusing Israel of “murder.”

In a separate incident in October 2025, Berkowicz was fined by Polish police after attempting to steal from an IKEA store in Krakow.