Polish leader apologizes for MP who made Hitler salute

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, left, and Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna make statements to the press after talks in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. AP

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s foreign minister has apologized in his country’s name for a right-wing Polish member of the European Parliament who raised his arm in a Nazi salute to make a political point.

The lawmaker, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, made the controversial gesture Wednesday during a debate on European plans to introduce single ticketing for trips across European Union borders.

He argued for more diversity in laws in the 28-nation bloc and then raised his hand in the Nazi salute and said: “Ein Reich, ein Volk, ein Ticket.” That’s a play on the Nazi slogan “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer.” (One People, one Empire, one Leader).

Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna apologized Thursday to Europe, the European Parliament and voters for Korwin-Mikke’s “performance,” saying “we all are ashamed of such behavior.”