Konrad Szczepan Berkowicz (born 27 May 1984 in Kraków) is a Polish politician. In 2015 he became the vice-chairman of KORWiN, aka 'The New Hope', a far-right political party in Poland in 2015, and the deputy of the Lower house of the Polish parliament (Sejm) in 2019.
Konrad Berkowicz | |
|---|---|
 Konrad Berkowicz (2018) | |
| Member of the Sejm | |
| Assumed office 12 November 2019 | |
| Constituency | 13 – Kraków |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 May 1984 |
| Party | New Hope |
Other political affiliations | Confederation Liberty and Independence |
Early life
editBerkowicz was born in Krakow and raised in Trzcinica near Jasło.[1] He is the son of Adam and Bożena Berkowicz, both of whom were dance teachers.[2] In his youth, Berkowicz also worked as a dance teacher[1] and practiced ballroom dancing.[2] He has four siblings.[3]
Berkowicz holds Bachelor and Master's degrees in philosophy from the University of Warsaw.[1]
Political career
editIn 2018, Berkowicz ran for mayor of Kraków but was unsuccessful.[4][5]
In 2019, he was elected to the Sejm, starting from the Confederation Freedom and Independence list in the Kraków II constituency.[6] He was a candidate in the 2019–20 Confederation presidential primary.[7]
In the 2023 parliamentary elections, Berkowicz was re-elected to the Sejm with 36,918 votes. During the 10th term, he served, among other roles, as vice-chairman of the Senior Policy Commission. In 2024, he again ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Kraków, and later that year he also made an unsuccessful bid in the European Parliament elections.[8]
Controversies
editIn October 2025, he was fined by the Polish Police for attempting to steal products with a total value of PLN 394.95 from an IKEA furniture store in Krakow.[9][10] Berkowicz accepted the fine and did not use his parliamentary immunity.[11] He later explained his actions as carelessness when scanning the products.[10][11]
On 14 April 2026, during a debate in the Sejm, Berkowicz sparked controversy by displaying an Israeli flag in which the Star of David was replaced with a swastika.[12] During his speech, he referred to Israel as a new Third Reich, accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, and war crimes "with particular cruelty", including the use of white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon.[12][13] Berkowicz also said that the number of children who have died [in Gaza] is dozens of times higher than during the entire war in Ukraine.[14] Israel as well as the European Jewish Congress strongly condemned Berkowicz's actions, calling them "antisemitic horror"[15], "Holocaust inversion" and "antisemitic provocation".[16] Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Deputy Speaker of the Polish parliament, said that Berkowicz's actions were "in no way justified".[15]
Personal life
editBerkowicz is married and became a father in 2024.[3]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Uczeń prezesa, IT i taniec. Kim jest Konrad Berkowicz?" (in Polish). TVN24. 28 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Poseł z Jasielszczyzny brawurowo tańczy walca. Mamy nagranie!". jaslo.naszemiasto.pl (in Polish). 6 June 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- 1 2 "Oto poseł, który nie zapłacił za zakupy w markecie. Kim jest Konrad Berkowicz" (in Polish). Onet. 28 October 2025.
- ↑ Lipińska, Martyna (16 October 2018). "Krakow local elections 2018: Who are the candidates for mayor?". Krakow Post. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ↑ "Wybory samorządowe 2018". wybory2018.pkw.gov.pl. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2019 r." sejmsenat2019.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ↑ "Braun, Bosak, Korwin-Mikke. Konfederacja ogłosiła kandydatów na prezydenta". www.rp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ↑ "Wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego 2024". wybory.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ↑ ""Not everything rang up." What did the MP not scan?" (in Polish). TVN24. 2025-10-28. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
- 1 2 Confederation MP caught attempting theft. Police intervened, polsatnews.pl, 2025-10-27, retrieved 2025-10-27
- 1 2 Confederation MP "caught". "Simple oversight. A frying pan and plates", tvn24.pl, 27 October 2025, retrieved 27 October 2025
- 1 2 Anwer, Ammar (15 April 2026). "Far-right Polish MP unfurls Israeli flag with swastika in parliament". TVP World. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ↑ "Far-Right Polish MP Draws Outrage with Swastika on Israeli Flag". Asharq Al-Awsat. 14 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ↑ "Far-right MP displays Israeli flag with swastika in Polish parliament". Notes from Poland. 14 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- 1 2 Stub, Zev (14 April 2026). "In parliament, Polish MP calls Israel 'new Third Reich,' waves Israeli flag with swastika". The Times of Israel. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ↑ Algemeiner, The. "Holocaust Remembrance Day Marked in Poland, Germany Amid Nazi Displays, Rising Antisemitism". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
External links
edit- https://konfederacja.net/prawybory/ Archived 2020-07-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Polish MP shows Israeli flag with Nazi swastika in the middle from TRT World
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