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Poland’s new pro-European Union government under Donald Tusk has seized control of public broadcasters in the country, firing the management boards of TVP and Polskie Radio, and taking the channels off-air.

The move sparked a sit-in protest by the conservative Law and Justice party at the TVP headquarters, which is now occupied by police to prevent any further dissent.

In a surprise victory, Donald Tusk won the elections in Poland in October.  According to Politico, Tusk said his election saved Polish democracy.

On 13 December, Tusk was sworn in as Poland’s new prime minister promising that his government would obey the constitution.  A week later, Tusk’s regime was acting both undemocratically and unconstitutionally by forcibly taking over public broadcasters.

It could be just a coincidence, but last month French media outlet Observatoire du Journalisme reported that George Soros, who supports Eurocrat Donald Tusk, had infiltrated Polish print media.  Observatoire du Journalisme noted that once public television (TVP) and radio (Polskie Radio) were taken over by Donald Tusk’s allies, the Polish media market will become very lopsided in favour of the political left, as it was before 2015.

The following was originally published by Remix News as the article titled ‘Conservative politicians hold vigil at TVP HQ as left moves to dismantle country’s free press’.

Members of Poland’s conservative opposition party, Law and Justice (“PiS”), started a vigil at the headquarters of the public television broadcaster TVP on Tuesday evening. This move was in response to the Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, adopting a resolution concerning “the restoration of legal order and impartiality in public media and the Polish Press Agency (“PAP”).”

Notably absent from the Sejm session were 109 PiS deputies, including their leader, Jarosław Kaczyński. During the vote, many of these deputies were present at the TVP headquarters, demonstrating their opposition to the actions of the Sejm majority. PiS leader Kaczyński emphasised the necessity of the protest against the government’s actions, stating, “There is no democracy without pluralism in the media, without strong anti-government media.”

Kaczyński further said that “in every democracy, there needs to be strong anti-government media. In Poland, these happen to be the public media, and this will not change in the near future. Therefore, we must defend these media, precisely because we are defending democracy and the citizens’ right to access information.”

Kaczyński announced that groups of 10 PiS deputies would take turns holding vigils at the TVP headquarters. Among the first to participate was former Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek, who described the Sejm’s resolution as “Stalinist.”

On Tuesday, Polish Minister of Science and Education Przemysław Czarnek tweeted: “The Hołownia-Tuskov resolution is Stalinist. Everyone knows this already. And us?… They are standing where ZOMO* was, and we are standing where they were back then. For Poland to be Poland, we are on duty to defend free media and democracy. First change.”  He attached the photograph below.

* ZOMO, Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej (Englsih transl. Motorised Detachments of the Citizens’ Militia), were elite units of Citizens’ Militia during the communist era in Poland.  In the early 1980s ZOMO played a key role in enforcing martial law and controlling demonstrations. It was known for its brutal riot control and quelling civil rights protests that resulted in a number of deaths.

Highlighting the role of public media in ensuring access to information, Kaczyński pointed out its importance in the context of democracy and, in light of changes within the European Union, Poland’s independence. He voiced concerns about alleged German-French plans aimed at federalising Europe and potentially undermining the sovereignty of certain states, including Poland.

Kaczyński also spoke about Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In his opinion, Tusk returned to Poland from Brussels “with a certain task.”

“He knows that honours and a truly great career await him in exchange for this. Failing to accomplish this task would essentially mean his end,” said the head of the PiS party.

Featured image: A group of police officers are seen in the lobby of the headquarters of Polish Public TV in Warsaw.  Source: Politico