A political uproar erupted in Warsaw after Polish lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz carried out a provocative act in parliament Tuesday evening, desecrating the Israeli flag during a session held on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Berkowicz, a member of the far-right Confederation party, presented a flag in which the Star of David had been replaced with a Nazi swastika, while launching a verbal attack against Israel, referring to it as “the new Third Reich.”

The incident unfolded as Israel observed its national day of remembrance for Holocaust victims, while in Poland, survivors were participating in commemorative events at Auschwitz.

Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz compares Israel’s crimes against humanity to those of the Third Reich and displays an Israeli flag with a swastika.

Israel is the new Third Reich! pic.twitter.com/Uo8GBcgQcc

— Sławomir Mentzen (@SlawomirMentzen) April 14, 2026

During his remarks, Berkowicz accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and behaving with “particular cruelty.” Figures within his political faction later amplified the speech by distributing footage and Nazi-era comparisons on social media in an effort to spread the message.

Israel’s embassy in Warsaw condemned the episode in strong terms, labeling it an “antisemitic atrocity” and urging Polish authorities to take firm action to address the situation. “This act is especially horrifying in a country that lost six million of its citizens under Nazi occupation,” the embassy said.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Thomas Rose also rebuked the lawmaker, writing: “Shame on you! Perhaps you’ve noticed that we Jews are no longer so easy to push around. We defend ourselves with all our strength without apology.”

The Speaker of Parliament, along with members of the ruling coalition, denounced the incident and called for prosecutors to initiate legal proceedings against Berkowicz.