The debate in the Polish Sejm whether to make 2021 the year of the 3rd of May Constitution become heated thanks to a certain opposition MP. Klaudia Jachira, from the Civic Coalition, decided to organise a happening at the parliamentary lectern, tearing out pages from a copy of the Polish constitution.
“Article 180 states that judges cannot be removed from office. Meanwhile you removed 40% of judges of the Supreme Court. The government took over the courts, disregarding articles 173 and 178 which state the courts’ and judges’ independence. You tore it out. MPs of the ruling Law and Justice party took control of the National Council of the Judiciary in violation of article 187. Using the Constitutional Tribunal, you deemed articles 190 and 194 not fitting to your vision. In violation of article 42, president Andrzej Duda pardoned Kamiński, who was not even fully sentenced yet.” said MP Klaudia Jachira while tearing out pages from a copy of the 1997 constitution.
“Ms. Marshal of the Sejm, you failed to react when a copy of the 1997 constitution was torn apart right here, at the parliamentary lectern. You failed to react when a member of parliament, actually some sort of an activist, committed a truly dishonourable act. Why didn’t you react? We cannot allow for such things to transpire here. Ladies and gentlemen, you said it right – it is us, the Law and Justice party, who are defending the constitution. We are defending our sovereignty and the tripartite division of power – all the things that were set in stone by the May 3rd Constitution of 1791. On its 230th anniversary the opposition wants to attack the tripartite division of power. They want to take away Poles’ sovereignty by voting for the stance of Brussels and Berlin which are blackmailing Poland. Shame on you!” followed Janusz Kowalski, an MP of the ruling Law and Justice party, shocked and disgusted by the action of the opposition MP.
Deputy Marshall of the Sejm from the Civic Platform party, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska responded to him by saying: “I did not react when MP Jachira tore out the pages of the constitution, because she was violating pages, while you are violating the constitution itself. You are persecuting people who wear pins with the word “Constitution” written on them and march on the streets. Now you have the audacity to blame her for tearing out these pages, when it is you who have been violating the constitution for the past several years.”
Political commentators are divided on this subject, with some describing the happening of MP Jachira as completely shameful, while others claim the ruling party is at fault for violating the constitution.