Warsaw’s left-wing mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, who recently issued a ban on the display of the Christian cross in public buildings, has sparked a heated debate across political spectrums in Poland, but the decision also drew criticism from notable figures abroad including billionaire Elon Musk.
The X owner expressed his disapproval of the move stating, “Shamelessly copying stupid things from America. How embarrassing,” as he criticized Trzaskowski’s actions.
This sentiment resonated with conservative voices in Poland. Paweł Lisicki, chief editor of the Polish weekly Do Rzeczy, has labeled Trzaskowski as the international left’s “blue-eyed boy” in Poland. Speaking on the independent internet radio WNET, Lisicki elucidated his view that Trzaskowski’s recent policy move was strategically timed and indicative of his broader political ambitions.
Trzaskowski, known for his staunch anti-clerical stance and advocacy for leftist causes, has also been a prominent supporter of LGBT rights in Poland. His policies have garnered attention from the international community, earning recognition from the Biden administration as a leading liberal figure in Polish politics.
According to Lisicki, the left is attempting to remove Christian religious symbols and support gender ideology around the globe. Trzaskowski has enthusiastically endorsed that line in Poland. “He is very sure of himself and thinks that Warsaw as a society is now secular enough for such a move,” adds Lisicki.
He also thinks that Trzaskowski may be using this issue as a way of thanking the European left for all the assistance it gave to the liberals and the left ahead of last year’s parliamentary election in Poland.
But there is also a conspiracy theory that it was Donald Tusk who manipulated Trzaskowski into such a move in order to weaken Trzaskowski ahead of the presidential election in which Trzaskowski hopes to run because Tusk himself has ambitions to become Polish president.
However, Lisicki thinks it more likely that Trzaskowski and his entourage are so confident and so convinced that Warsaw and all of Poland are following exactly the same path that the West has taken, that they believe they will ultimately profit from it.
The editor of DoRzeczy weekly regretted that the Catholic Church’s response to Trzaskowski’s move has been timid, with very little said.
