On the anniversary of the brutal murder of Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko near the dam in Włocławek, the New Left (Nowa Lewica) held its convention in the city, led by its chairman Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who in 1984 was already a member of the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). “Włocławek, the dam in the background… The worst associations. If someone didn’t think about it beforehand – that’s bad, but if they did – that’s even worse,” said Michał Dworczyk.
On Sunday, October 19, marked 41 years since the brutal murder of Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko by communist executioners from the Security Service (SB). The priest, who for years had been harassed and surveilled by the secret police, was kidnapped, beaten, bound, and thrown from the Włocławek dam into the Vistula River from a height of several meters on October 19, 1984. His body was recovered from the river near Włocławek on October 30, 1984.
In 1991, Pope John Paul II consecrated the cross-monument of Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, which was erected near the Włocławek dam. The unveiling ceremony was attended by the highest state and church authorities, as well as the family and close friends of the murdered priest. It was on Sunday, October 19, 2025, that the New Left (Nowa Lewica) convention took place in Włocławek – a party formed from the merger of, among others, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), the political heir to the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) via the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (SdRP).
Among those present at the convention was the party’s leader, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who had been a PZPR member since 1983.
As part of the event, held in various parts of the city, the Włocławek dam itself – symbolically burdened with the crime of the Security Service – also played a significant role. Krzysztof Kukucki, the city’s mayor from the Left, gave a speech there.
“Today we can proudly say: Włocławek is one of the leaders of Poland’s energy transformation. Here, on the Vistula, we combine water, nuclear power, the sun, and wind into a single system that provides clean, cheap, and safe energy. This is the Poland of the future – a Poland that doesn’t wait for others to decide, but makes its own decisions. A Poland that doesn’t fear the future, because it builds it itself,” said Kukucki.
Social media users pointed out that October 19, the Włocławek dam, and the Left with former members of the communist party make for a mix that evokes the worst associations. “The horrifying symbolism of yesterday’s Left convention on the 41st anniversary of Fr. Popiełuszko’s brutal murder. Włocławek, the dam in the background… The worst associations. If someone didn’t think about it beforehand – that’s bad, but if they did – that’s even worse,” wrote Michał Dworczyk, Law and Justice (PiS) MEP, on social media.