In a disturbing incident captured on video and spread across the internet, Lt. Col. Dr. Piotr Szymański, a neurology consultant for the Military Health Service, was seen both verbally and physically assaulting conservative journalists, including calling one of them a “PiS b**ch,” and screaming, ‘I should smack you, but damn, you’re too fat for that.'”
The footage shows Szymański engaging in a heated argument with Samuel Pereira, a former journalist for TVP, and Żaklina Skowrońska, who works for the conservative news outlet wPolityce.pl.
The video vividly captures Szymański’s tirade against Pereira. “You are nothing but PiS trash,” Szymański is heard yelling at Pereira, referring to the Law and Justice (PiS) party. The conflict escalated when Szymański turned his aggression towards Skowrońska, making derogatory comments about her weight and even threatening further violence.
Żaklina Skowrońska recounted the shocking encounter: “We were just sitting and chatting in a restaurant in Warsaw when we suddenly heard yelling. It was him, recognizing Samuel and hurling curses. ‘You should be hiding in your hole, not sitting here,’ he screamed.”
Skowrońska further detailed the abuse she suffered, “He called me a ‘PiS bitch’ and hurled insults about my appearance. He said I was a ‘fatso,’ a ‘big fat woman,’ and claimed I would sweat even when speaking. He threatened to hit me, saying, ‘I should smack you, but damn, you’re too fat for that.'”
After enduring the tirade, Skowrońska finally retaliated, “He came up to me, looked me in the eye, and dared me, ‘Come on then, big girl.’ My patience snapped, and I slapped him. I felt utterly humiliated in front of everyone there. I’ve been in the media for a long time and never faced such a situation,” Skowrońska shared tearfully during an interview with Telewizji wPolsce.
Dr. Szymański released a statement later on, suggesting that he was provoked by journalists. “The media portrayal is misleading. The altercation was unfortunate, and I was provoked and struck first, which led to my regrettable reaction,” he claimed.
Pereira shared his perspective on the events, criticizing both the attack and the subsequent explanations offered by Dr. Szymański. “It’s outrageous how he claimed to be the victim. Everyone at the event could see who escalated it to physical violence,” Pereira commented.
Responding to the incident, the Ministry of National Defense issued a statement via social media, confirming that if the preliminary findings are validated, an immediate investigative procedure will be initiated.
“In light of the video showing the scandalous behavior of one of the officers of the Polish Army, I inform you that if the findings are confirmed, a procedural investigation will commence without delay,” stated the spokesperson for the ministry.
Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also spoke out, condemning the incident: “This scandalous behavior, against which decisive consequences will be drawn, cannot be tolerated,” he said in a brief statement.
Samuel Pereira, reflecting on the deputy prime minister’s response and the broader implications of the incident, commented on X, “Good decision, I thank you on behalf of my insulted colleague and myself. It’s unfortunate that not everything was recorded, as Lt. Col. Szymański also made vulgar remarks with discriminatory and xenophobic undertones.”
