Today marks the 15th anniversary of the tragedy that took place in Łódź, in the parliamentary office of Law and Justice (PiS). One of its employees was killed, and another was seriously injured.
The tragic events from years ago were recalled by Janusz Wojciechowski, former EU Commissioner for Agriculture and, in 2010, a Law and Justice MEP.
“15 years ago, on October 19, 2010, my irreplaceable colleague, the late Marek Rosiak, was murdered in my parliamentary office in Łódź. Eternal rest…”
Wojciechowski added that the motive behind the act was political hatred toward Law and Justice, as declared by the perpetrator.
Professor Stanisław Żerko, in turn, reminded of the memorial plaque unveiled a year after the crime by party leader Jarosław Kaczyński. The plaque is located on the building where the tragedy occurred.
The course of events
On October 19, 2010, a man stormed into the Law and Justice office and – according to witnesses – immediately attacked one of the employees, Marek Rosiak, firing shots in his direction. As later reported in the Polish Sejm by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Jerzy Miller, there were eight shots fired – the entire magazine. Four of them hit Rosiak, killing him instantly. The perpetrator then attacked another person in the same room, Paweł Kowalski.
According to a municipal guard’s report, the detained man had a gas pistol modified for live ammunition, a stun gun, a gas sprayer, and a knife. However, later information from law enforcement indicated that the firearm he possessed was a pre-war original Walther .22 caliber pistol.
The murderer’s ties to Civic Platform
The perpetrator, Ryszard Cyba, was born in 1948. Media reported that during the communist era, he traded currency and cooperated with the militia. Until 1999, he lived in Canada for many years. He had a Canadian passport and driver’s license. After returning to Poland, he lived for 10 years in Częstochowa, working as a taxi driver.
The tragedy taught Civic Platform politicians and their supporters nothing
It might have seemed that the first political murder in free Poland would make politicians change their rhetoric and eliminate hate speech. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Since that day, we have heard statements about “shaking off locusts,” and the author of the phrase “finishing off the pack” has still not apologized. The current prime minister has been radicalizing his message week by week, and we hear that Law and Justice voters are supposedly worse, less educated, and poorer than those who support Civic Platform.
Politicians like Janusz Palikot and Stefan Niesiołowski were deliberately sent to the media to inflame tensions. Today, they have been replaced by the so-called “young wolves” of Civic Platform. They not only guarantee effective insults against Law and Justice politicians but are even ready to use physical force – for example, against journalists they dislike (there were numerous such cases, including during the last presidential campaign).
At the Women’s Strike protests, banners calling for the killing of Jarosław Kaczyński (including slogans about “shooting the duck”), the right-wing leader, were also visible. The clergy and members of the then Constitutional Tribunal were attacked as well. The address of then-Tribunal judge Krystyna Pawłowicz was also made public.
Hate speech intensified again during the last presidential campaign. The attacks targeted not only the candidate Karol Nawrocki but also his family. Nearly all members of the Civic Coalition and social media troll farms participated in this smear campaign. The hate even reached the youngest child of the future president – 6-year-old Kasia. On election night, a video appeared showing the girl dancing and blowing kisses to people gathered in the hall. Not everyone liked it – as internet users later revealed, some of the haters were teachers and doctors.
In conclusion – the factory of political hatred is still running, and running quite efficiently. Below is just one example from yesterday… There are thousands more.
TV Republika journalist on the shocking prison release of Cyba
Piotr Nisztor, an investigative journalist at TV Republika, devoted one of the May episodes of his program Ściśle jawne (Strictly Confidential) to this very case – specifically, to the shocking news that Ryszard Cyba had been released from prison. Why? What was behind it, and how did it end? It’s worth watching the report again. You can find it on YouTube: