Grzegorz Braun, Polish presidential candidate and Member of the European Parliament, burned the EU flag outside the historic Wujek coal mine in Katowice last week.

The action, which was shared on social media, was carried out as a dramatic protest against what Braun calls the EU’s “bureaucratic tyranny” and “ideological occupation” of Poland.

In a video posted on Braun’s official channels, he is first seen tearing down an EU flag inside Poland’s Ministry of Industry in Katowice, wiping his shoes on it, and then setting it on fire outside the building. In the text accompanying the video, he wrote: “Down with Eurocommunism! This is Poland”.

– We will never in Poland exhibit signs against us of an enemy organization. This organization has led to the liquidation of Poland, such emblems are not surrounded by any protection of rights in Poland, he declared.

According to Braun, the flag burning is a symbol of resistance to the EU’s environmental policy, which he believes threatens Polish industry.

– This is Poland, not Brussels! We will not tolerate symbols of hostile structures, the politician shouted during the protest.

Precz z eurokomuną! Tu jest Polska pic.twitter.com/e0PLoXlZJA

— Grzegorz Braun (@GrzegorzBraun_) May 6, 2025

During a press conference, Braun argued that the EU is forcing political measures on Poles that are killing the country’s traditional industries and attempting to erase Poland’s national identity. The Wujek coal mine, a symbol of Polish labor and energy, was deliberately chosen as the setting to highlight the historical contrast with the EU’s climate agenda.

A controversial figure

Braun’s action is part of his Eurosceptic campaign ahead of the Polish presidential election, in which he continues to describe the EU as an “occupying power” and focuses particularly on attacking what he sees as supranational interference in national decisions. However, Braun only has between 1 and 3 percent of voter support in opinion polls, making his chances of becoming president highly unlikely.

– Nie po to ginęli górnicy Kopalni Wujek i inni polegli z rąk władzy sowieckiej, żeby dzisiaj utwierdzany był na ziemiach polskich reżim eurosowiecki❗️

Płonie tutaj kawałek materii z emblematem nieistniejącego państwa, które rości sobie pretensje do zarządzania i pomiatania… pic.twitter.com/ON1NrLacsy

— Grzegorz Braun (@GrzegorzBraun_) May 6, 2025

The incident occurred after the European Parliament decided to lift his parliamentary immunity, allowing him to be prosecuted for an incident in December 2023. At that time, Braun used a fire extinguisher to extinguish Jewish Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament – an act that attracted a great deal of attention.

– The people participating in the Satanic cult should be ashamed, he declared in connection with the incident.

The Nordic Times also drew attention to Braun earlier this year when, during the European Parliament’s annual memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust, he chose instead to focus on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, but was shortly thereafter escorted out of the chamber.