The European Parliament decided on 26 March 2026 to waive the parliamentary immunity of MEP Grzegorz Braun, a Polish member elected in June 2024.

Polish prosecutors asked for the waiver on 4 September 2025 after the Kraków branch of the Institute of National Remembrance said Braun had denied the genocide committed at Auschwitz in two public interviews – one on 10 July 2025 in Jedwabne and another on 14 July 2025 in Warsaw. The alleged statements are considered offences under Polish law.

The Parliament found that the alleged acts were not part of Braun’s parliamentary duties, that there was no evidence the legal action was aimed at undermining his political activity, and that immunity protects only actions carried out in the performance of parliamentary work. Therefore, it waived his immunity, instructed its President to send the decision and the committee report to the Polish authorities and to Braun.

Broader Context

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have a special legal protection called parliamentary immunity. This means they generally cannot be prosecuted by their country's courts for things they say or do as part of their job as an elected representative. The idea is to protect politicians from being silenced by politically motivated legal cases.

However, this immunity is not absolute. If a national government wants to prosecute an MEP, it can formally ask the European Parliament to "waive" (remove) that protection. The Parliament then votes on whether the case looks politically motivated or whether it concerns actions that fall outside the MEP's actual parliamentary work. If it decides the prosecution is legitimate, it lifts the immunity and lets the national courts proceed.

In Poland, denying or minimizing the Holocaust is a criminal offence. The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) is the Polish state body responsible for investigating crimes against the Polish nation, including Nazi and communist-era atrocities. The Kraków branch of the IPN triggered this process after reviewing Braun's public statements.

Impact on EU Citizens

For everyday people living in the EU, this case is a reminder that being an elected MEP does not place someone above the law. Politicians can still face prosecution for things they say outside of their parliamentary role, just like any other citizen.

It also shows that Holocaust denial is treated as a serious crime in several EU countries, including Poland, Germany, and France, among others. Publicly denying or downplaying genocides such as the Holocaust can result in criminal charges regardless of who you are.