“No one observing the revocation of TV Republika’s broadcasting license can have any doubt that the state of freedom of speech in Poland is deteriorating. Unfortunately, this problem arises whenever Donald Tusk comes to power,” President Andrzej Duda said during an interview with Michał Rachoń on the station’s broadcast. “I encourage everyone to participate in the presidential elections and to vigilantly monitor the election process because it concerns the fundamental question of whether democracy will continue to exist in Poland,” he added.
A Verdict Against TV Republika
The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, in the first half of April, announced its verdict regarding the complaint against the decision of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) concerning the allocation of a multiplex slot, among others, to TV Republika.
The court overturned the challenged decision of the KRRiT and the resolution dated June 21, 2024. It also ordered reimbursement of legal costs to the complainant, as stated by Judge Barbara Kołodziejczak-Osetek.
Judge Kołodziejczak-Osetek found that there had been an “improper evaluation of applications.” The court criticized the “criteria invoked by the authority [KRRiT] — namely, loosely cited notions of pluralism and public interest applicable only to certain entities.”
The verdict is not yet final.
“Poles Are Being Silenced”
Following the verdict, protests erupted across Poland, and today President Andrzej Duda commented on the matter during a broadcast on TV Republika.
“When the state revokes a license from you and another independent television station, there can be no doubt that the situation regarding freedom of speech is dire. No one observing this process can deny that freedom of speech is under threat here. And this is not the first such incident. Unfortunately, this problem always emerges whenever Donald Tusk comes to power. The most troubling aspect is that he acts with impunity, and European institutions, dominated by the liberal-left camp — Tusk’s political allies — pretend not to see what is happening, as if the problem does not exist at all. In reality, something absolutely scandalous is happening, something that cries out to the heavens. Poles are being stripped of their voice,”
the President said.
The End of Democracy?
According to the President, this may only be the first step towards an even darker scenario.
“I await the moment when we are deprived of freedom of speech entirely, so that soon they can tell us that freedom of association, as we know it, is also problematic because the existing political parties, aside from Donald Tusk’s enlightened party, allegedly act against Poland’s interests according to PO [Civic Platform]. And what then? It will turn out that other parties will no longer be allowed to exist, and other organizations will also be prohibited,”
the President said.
He warned that perhaps: “the times we happily managed to reject in 1989 at the ballot box — when Poles went to the polls to push the communists out of power and to express their desire to live in a truly democratic country — may return. This democracy will genuinely end if there are no free media able to present views different from those officially promoted by the ruling camp,” he emphasized.
The President Urges: Go and Vote!
President Andrzej Duda also issued an important appeal to all Poles:
“I encourage everyone to participate in the presidential elections and to safeguard the election process because it is fundamentally about whether democracy will persist in Poland. This is of fundamental importance. My term as President will end in a few months, but I would like us to be able to say: yes, we have a president elected by the people, who has genuinely won the election and is assuming the office of Head of State. Simply put,”
he said.
The full interview between journalist Michał Rachoń and President Andrzej Duda can be viewed in the window below: