Three suspected neo-Nazis have been detained and charged with propagating fascism after footage aired on Polish television appeared to show the men celebrating Hitler’s birth anniversary, State Prosecutor spokeswoman Ewa Bialik has said.

According to Bialik, one of the men detained was in possession of a weapon and ammunition.

Meanwhile, Joanna Smorczewska, a spokeswoman for the Gliwice District Prosecutor’s Office, identified one of the men as Mateusz S., the leader of the Pride and Modernity (Duma i Nowoczesność) organisation.

Last weekend, private broadcaster TVN aired footage from its investigation into nationalists in Poland which included recordings of Pride and Modernity’s celebrations of Hitler’s birth anniversary last May.

The revelations caused outrage and condemnation in Poland, a country which suffered massive damage after being invaded by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany in World War II.

The celebrations filmed secretly by TVN featured Nazi German flags, an altar to the Nazi German leader, and the “Sieg Heil” Hitler salute.

Smorczewska said that fascist paraphernalia, including Nazi uniforms, were found during searches of the detainees’ homes.

After the TVN broadcast and following calls from both the ruling party and opposition, prosecutors are looking into delegalizing the Pride and Modernity organization.

Promoting fascism in Poland carries penalties of up to two years in jail. (vb/pk)

Source: IAR, PAP