The vandals sprayed the acronym of the former Polish Communist Party “PZPR” on the office building in Warsaw. This is not an isolated incident. Other incidents include vandalism of the headquarters of the Gazeta Polska club in Elbląg in northern Poland as well as online threats sent to Member of European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki on Twitter. “I’ll kill you,” read one of the threats, “you Nazi dog.”
Last Friday saw more protests against Law and Justice’s judicial reforms at the Presidential Palace. Protesters accused police of using pepper spray on the demonstrators but video footage shows the protesters using the spray. The incident is now under police investigation. Police response to the other attacks has varied as the culprits are often well hidden and masked, which makes investigation difficult. The assailants in the case of Mariusz Kamiński’s office should be found as their likeness is known to the police.
Despite the insults and punishable threats, the politicians of the Civic Platform have not denounced the attacks. Law and Justice politicians, such as Ryszard Czarnecki, claim that “the opposition are held morally responsible for these hateful attacks.” He warns: “Some of those in the opposition dream about bloodshed.”
One of the most tragic attacks on Law and Justice officials was the 2010 murder of Marek Rosiak in Łódź in central Poland. He was shot by Ryszard Cyba. In court, he testified that he is “sorry to everyone, but it is the fault of Jarosław Kaczyński [the leader of the Law and Justice Party].” Ryszard Cyba was a member of the Civic Platform in the years 2004-2006.
