Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Patryk Jaki silenced critics of Poland’s judiciary reforms in the European Parliament in a fiery speech where he asked why the rule of law is not being questioned in France, a country where police brutality against Yellow Vest protesters has become nearly a weekly occurrence.
During debate concerning the rule of law in Poland in the European Parliament, some participants tried to forcefully make the case that the judiciary in Poland had become politicized.
Patryk Jaki pointed out that critics of Poland make very broad accusations of Poland breaking the law but none of them have offered any concrete examples supporting why they believe the choice of judges in Poland has become politicized.
“This is because if you did so, questions would start to come up, such as one for Mrs. Commissioner Jourova,” he said.
He then went on to ask Commissioner Věra Jourová about her own country, saying, “In what way are judges chosen in your country, the Czech Republic? Please tell us and compare that to Poland, then you will see on what this huge lie is based on,” Jaki emphasized.
He also referred to how judges are chosen in Germany in response to a German MEP who criticized Poland’s judicial reforms.
“Do you know that in Poland judges choose other judges? Do you know how they are chosen in Germany? Not long ago an MP, right out of the Bundestag, became a judge,” said Jaki.
“You dare tell us that the judiciary in Poland is politicized but not in Germany?”
Polish MEP @PatrykJaki from the ruling party filed a motion y-day for the EU parliament to discuss #Macron's violence against #GiletsJaunes protesters. It was voted down
Instead, the EP today debated Poland &Hungary "breaking the rule of law"
Jaki told them they are hypocrits? pic.twitter.com/lmfHk3SYhd
— BasedPoland (@BasedPoland) January 15, 2020
The PiS MEP also spoke about the “March of a thousand robes” in Warsaw and compared it to a recent situation in France where judges were forcefully escorted out of the French Court of Appeal by police, causing a news scandal in France.
“What about French judges and lawyers protesting in the Court of Appeal? The French police used force against them!” said Jaki.
“You speak of freedom to protest. Do you know that [the Polish] judges who now sit here had the protection of the police when they protested?” Jaki explained, pointing out the double-standard of MEPs who claim rule of law is broken in Poland but not in France.
Another PiS MEP, Beata Kempa, filed a motion to discuss political violence in France regarding the ongoing Yellow Vest protests that have rocked the country on a weekly basis for over a year.
The motion was voted down despite questions regarding the French state’s repression of legitimate protests. Instead, MEPs debated the “rule of law in Poland and Hungary”, a country where state-sanctioned police violence against protesters is virtually non-existent.
Videos like the following have been streaming out of France, raising questions about why the EU is not addressing political and police repression against those demonstrating against French President Emmanuel Macron.
Patryk Jaki concluded his speech by striking out not only at foreign MEP, but also Polish ones who represented the “total opposition”.
MEP @BeataKempa_MEP filled a motion in the EU Parliam. in the name of ECR (Polish ruling party, Brexit Party, Vox, FvD, Sweden Democrats etc)
demanding a debate on #Macron's violence against #GiletsJaunes protesters
Voted down, instead debate on "Rule-of-Law in Poland &Hungary? pic.twitter.com/R1QXPdfOGf
— BasedPoland (@BasedPoland) January 15, 2020
“You people are ridiculous! You have a problem with Poland because we aren’t on a German leash anymore!” exclaimed Jaki.
“Poland bothers you because it is no longer holding onto Germany’s leg, that it is rising from its knees and does not allow the acceptance of the number of migrants that you want (…), that it wants to be a sovereign state,” he said in the speech that went viral on Twitter.
