An undercover television report that showed members of a Polish neo-Nazi group celebrating Adolf Hitler's birthday, complete with a swastika cake, has prompted a criminal investigation.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced fascism in response to the report, which aired on Polish news channel TVN24 on Saturday.
The documentary sought to expose the activities of the Pride and Modernity movement. TVN24 journalists were able to infiltrate the group over a period of several months in 2017, exposing the neo-Nazi nature of the organization.
The report showed members of the group wearing Nazi uniforms and said Pride and Modernity was also behind a November protest where photos of centrist European Parliament lawmakers from Poland were hung on mock gallows.
The footage showed group members taking part in a number of bizarre rituals, including the celebration of Hitler's 128th birthday, during which they gathered in front of a flaming swastika and made a toast "to Adolf Hitler and our homeland, beloved Poland."
Poland's prosecutor general launched an investigation Sunday for suspected "public propagation of fascism," a crime punishable by up to two years in prison.
Morawiecki said propagating fascism tramples "the memory of our ancestors and their heroic fight for a Poland that is just and free from hatred."
