A Polish liberal magazine has published an opinion piece saying journalists and readers of a right-wing papers are only fit for “beating and murder”.
Tomasz Jastrun, a poet who is currently a columnist for the weekly Przegląd, in a piece published on April 27 in print and online, wrote that journalists at conservative weekly Gazeta Polska and its readers cannot be debated with, only beaten or killed.
“Gazeta Polska gives the impression of a publication driven mad by hatred of [Prime Minister Donald] Tusk and of people with liberal views,” claimed Jastrun before stating what he thought should happen with regard to the paper and its readers.
“With the authors of Gazeta Polska, just like with its readers, it is no longer possible to discuss anything; there is no common ground for debate, only a beating or simply murder remains,” he wrote.
The editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska, Tomasz Sakiewicz, went further and said that the matter showed how an atmosphere of impunity had been created for such outbursts in liberal media backing the centre-left government led by Tusk.
“If anything bad happens to any of our journalists or readers, responsibility will lie not only with Mr Jastrun and the media that publish his texts, but also with the current authorities, because they create an atmosphere of impunity which encourages such a campaign, ” he said.
Sakiewicz, who is also the CEO of Poland’s most popular news channel, TV Republika, told portal Niezalezna that the liberal media seemed to feel normal rules of public debate no longer applied to them.
“It seems that the liberal left has reached a point where the desire to prove they are better, that their way of thinking about life is superior, is beginning to eliminate anyone who thinks differently,” he said.
Sakiewicz also accused the authorities of not only engaging in a hate campaign against his paper and TV Republika but also of the hounding of its journalists by prosecutors and of putting pressure on advertisers to withdraw their business from the channel.
Responding to questions on what steps he planned to take against the column in which his journalists and readers were threatened Sakiewicz suggested ramping up private security.
“We will certainly have to increase security for our media outlets, because we cannot rely on protection from the authorities, who are wiretapping, tracking, searching for compromising materials,and staging provocations.”
He also said that it was likely that he would be reporting Jastrun’s column to the public prosecutors.
“We will also consider reporting the case to prosecutors, although in Mr Jastrun’s case, a psychiatrist might also be needed,” he concluded.
The head of the Association of Polish Journalists (SDP), Jolanta Hadasz, has said she expects a reaction from the authorities with regard to the Jastrun article because the safety and wellbeing of journalists was under threat.
“Such words are particularly damaging at a time when public figures are receiving death threats and have in the past actually been killed. Jastrun’s remarks mark the crossing of yet another red line in public debate,” she said.
According to Hadasz, Jastrun may have a feeling of being immune from prosecution because he is a supporter of the Tusk government.
She recalled how the authorities have in the past clamped down on instances of alleged “hate speech” against public figures who support the government.
“An elderly woman suffering from cancer was arrested, prosecuted and convicted for criticising the CEO of Poland’s biggest charity Jerzy Owsiak when she used the expression ‘perish man’, which was interpreted as wishing Owsiak to die. One should expect some reaction to Jastrun’s remarks.”
Polish public prosecutors have not, thus far, though, found time to investigate the Jastrun column, although they have in the last few days called in the Chief of Staff of the opposition Conservatives (PiS)-aligned President Karol Nawrocki for questioning in a probe over advice given to Nawrocki on the matter of the appointments of constitutional court judges.
Former state broadcaster TGVP senior journalist Krzysztof Ziemiec, commenting on Jastrun’s column, asked: “Where was the editor in charge of the issue, where?”, before condemning the article as a classic case of hate speech.
