Tusk begins his mandate in Poland with the dismissal of the general public media management | International | EUROtoday

The liberal coalition that has ruled Poland since final week is rapidly fulfilling its guarantees. One of them was to “clean up” the general public media, which in eight years of ultra-conservative authorities grew to become a propaganda machine with few deontological rules, in keeping with critics. The new Minister of Culture, Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, introduced this Wednesday the dismissal of the management of tv (TVP), radio (PR) and the general public information company (PAP). Several deputies from the Law and Justice social gathering (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who now leads the opposition, have occupied the TVP headquarters in protest of the adjustments, whereas the brand new authorities have lower off the published of stories content material.

When Donald Tusk presided over the European Council, he traveled to Warsaw to offer a chat on the college in 2019. TVP, the general public tv channel, illustrated the data with a recording of the Nazi military marching previous the college in the course of the 1939 occupation, together with different pictures of Hitler and Stalin. It is simply one of many numerous assaults within the public media, unleashed in the course of the current election marketing campaign, on the now prime minister, characterised as a “traitor” and “puppet” of Germany, Brussels and even Russia.

Tusk acknowledged this Tuesday that “public television as it exists now does not deserve to be financed by taxpayers.” The draft Budget for 2024, introduced on the identical day, doesn’t embody the TVP within the public accounts. Both Tusk and members of his Government have spoken repeatedly of “cleaning up” the chain, but additionally of “liquidating it.”

On Tuesday, the brand new parliamentary majority, fashioned by the three liberal events that kind the federal government coalition, authorised a decision within the Sejm (Lower House of the Polish Parliament), which urged “all state authorities to instantly undertake measures aimed toward restoring the constitutional order concerning residents’ entry to dependable info and the functioning of the general public media.” The decision, followed by the dismissals announced by the Ministry of Culture, has unleashed grotesque scenes at the TVP headquarters, starring ultra-conservative politicians who have spent the night there and calling for more protests.

The opposition leader arrived amid great commotion at the TVP headquarters to “defend democracy” and “the independence of Poland.” Kaczynski led a sit-in protest by members of his party, who took over the hall of the television headquarters. There have been moments of tension in the building, with struggles between the outgoing and incoming teams, in which a deputy ended up with her arm in a sling, and with a police presence. TVP’s news content channel stopped broadcasting in the morning, as did its website, which was redirected to the general television website. The social media profiles remained, however, under the control of PiS loyalists, tweeting and sharing messages and videos from ultra-conservative politicians. The former prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, who has led the Executive punished by the Commission for the deterioration of the rule of law, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “We will not give up. “We will not allow a dictatorship to be built in Poland.”

“Act of anarchy”

The president of the National Broadcasting Council, Maciej Swirsk, considered “a serious violation of the law” the dismissals announced by the Minister of Culture, who in a previous Tusk term was the head of the Interior. The director, who was appointed by the previous ultra-conservative parliamentary majority, at the proposal of PiS, added in

In a movement that sought to shield public media from the coming to power of the liberal parties, the Constitutional Court, which remains in the hands of people close to PiS, issued last Thursday a precautionary measure that prohibited any action aimed at “dissolving” the media. The Constitutional Court also vetoed “any activity aimed at changing its boards of directors”, until it decided on a constitutionality question raised by a group of PiS deputies. In the statement with which the Department of Culture announced the dismissals and new appointments, the minister described the Constitutional Court’s decision as “legally ineffective and not binding” in any way.

President Andrzej Duda wrote to the Sejm after passing Tuesday’s resolution to warn that “if the brand new majority needs adjustments in public media, it should accomplish that in accordance with the Constitution, that’s, change the legislation or wait.” until the mandate of the National Media Council ends,” as reported by its Chief of Staff, Marcin Mastalerek, at a press conference.

The turbulent day takes place on the same day that a Warsaw district court has sentenced the former Minister of the Interior and former head of the special services, Mariusz Kaminski, and his number two, Maciej Wąsik, to two years in prison for a 2007 scandal. Duda pardoned the convicted eight years ago, but a few months ago the Supreme Court considered this measure of grace inappropriate because it was granted when the sentence was not yet final, and reopened the case.

All while the new Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, receives the Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourová, in Warsaw, as “important confirmation of the European Commission’s recognition of the changes that reestablish the rule of law” in the country. “This is a historic moment and a testament to Poland’s new position in European and international politics,” Bodnar wrote in X.

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