The 21st Convention of the Gazeta Polska Clubs began in Sulejów with a meeting featuring Tomasz Sakiewicz, Beata Dróżdż, and Ewa Wójcik. Addressing the participants, Dróżdż thanked them for their commitment.
“It is incredible that you are always where Poland needs you,” she told the gathering.
Members of local clubs arrived in Sulejów from across Poland and even from abroad. Surrounded by red-and-white decorations inspired by the Polish national flag, participants will spend the weekend networking, socializing, forming new friendships, and engaging in what organizers described as traditional “late-night Polish discussions.”
Gazeta Polska Clubs Expanding Around the World
Sakiewicz, Dróżdż, and Wójcik recalled key moments in the history of the network, which today includes thousands of members and mobilizes grassroots activists across numerous communities.
The clubs affiliated with Gazeta Polska have been operating for many years. Their first president was Ryszard Kapuściński, whose passing, Wójcik noted, deeply affected the entire community.
According to the speakers, the clubs experienced a major surge in popularity after April 10, 2010. They argued that the Smolensk air disaster united many Poles in opposition to the policies of the government led by Donald Tusk and encouraged greater civic engagement. Today, new local branches are being established not only in Poland but also abroad.
As a result, Sakiewicz suggested that a carnival-themed Gazeta Polska Clubs convention in Rio de Janeiro is no longer an unrealistic idea.
“A carnival convention of the Gazeta Polska Clubs in Rio de Janeiro is not an abstraction at all,” he said.
Drawing Strength from Tradition
Wójcik, who oversees the registration of new clubs, explained why the verification process for new branches is lengthy and detailed.
“For us, the most important thing is people who want to work for Poland,” she emphasized.
She added that the scale of civic mobilization achieved by the clubs would not have been possible without the media outlets that developed around Gazeta Polska.
“As Gazeta Polska Clubs, we have ‘Gazeta Polska’ in our name. Without the newspaper, we would not exist,” she said.
Dróżdż reassured attendees that the situation of the long-running publication remains stable. Although print media are no longer the most popular source of information, she noted that readership figures remain significant, citing data from the monitoring industry.
“One copy is usually read by several people,” she added.
She also recalled some of the more colorful promotional campaigns organized by club members, including the “We Read Embarrassing Newspapers” initiative.
“We organized events where ten or so people would gather in parks or public places to read Gazeta Polska and our other publications. It attracted a lot of attention. Passers-by were always curious about what we were doing. ‘Buy a newspaper for your neighbor’ was another way of reaching people,” she recalled.
Dróżdż reminded participants that Gazeta Polska is published weekly and highlighted the efficiency of its subscription system.
“Take advantage of it, because we know that the traditional distribution network has become more difficult,” she appealed.
Attacks on Telewizja Republika
Toward the end of the meeting, Sakiewicz, Editor-in-Chief of Telewizja Republika, discussed the challenges facing the broadcaster.
According to Sakiewicz, Republika is currently watched by around 10 million Poles, while an additional 8 million follow its content online. He estimated that the station now reaches more than half of Poland’s eligible voters. He attributed this growth to the sharp rise in popularity following the takeover of public media on December 19, 2023.
“That growth has not stopped. Even though we are told that competitors are taking viewers away from us, our audience continues to grow. The increase is not as dramatic as it was immediately after the takeover, but there is no other news outlet of this scale in Poland,” he said.
Sakiewicz argued that this popularity explains why so many actions are being directed against the station. He referred to police visits and official interventions involving journalists, as well as the handcuffing of his assistant during what he described as an unjustified police operation at his apartment.
He also claimed that less attention has been paid to what he described as broader efforts by state authorities against the broadcaster.
“The cumulative effect is that many court cases, tax proceedings, and administrative actions against us have been accelerated,” he said.
Sakiewicz further alleged that documents submitted by the station had been stolen in order to create grounds for penalties based on their supposed non-delivery.
He also strongly criticized incidents involving false reports that led to interventions targeting journalists.
“In my opinion, not a single person connected with these attacks has been arrested,” Sakiewicz said.