“I feel no remorse for what I said,” admitted Witalij Mazurenko in an interview with the portal Onet.pl. Last week, he insulted President Karol Nawrocki on Polsat television. In the meantime, the Ukrainian apologized for his words, but yesterday evening he admitted that he did so “only to protect his loved ones” from hate.
During the program Debata Gozdyry broadcast on Polsat News, Ukrainian journalist Witalij Mazurenko, who holds Polish citizenship, used scandalous words to comment on President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to veto a law providing financial aid to Ukrainian citizens.
“The rhetoric and behaviour of Mr. Nawrocki are not presidential behaviour, but the behaviour of a pachan. That’s what the leader of a criminal group is called in Russian prisons,” Mazurenko said on the program.
The host, Agnieszka Gozdyra, immediately reacted to these words, voicing her opposition to such a tone. Despite criticism and several attempts by the host to intervene, Mazurenko did not retract his opinion.
Apologized, but insincerely
In the following days, Mazurenko consequently lost his job at Obserwator Międzynarodowy and also issued an apology for his words. However, yesterday evening, he admitted that the apology was not genuine.
“I feel no remorse for what I said. I am an adult, and this wave of online hate is a rather minor thing for a person who knows what dignity is. My post with the apology had a hidden meaning. I can take the blows, but I did not want my loved ones or people connected to me to receive them. Unfortunately, this wave of hate also struck them. And above all, I wanted to shield them,” he said in an interview with Onet, now casting himself as a victim.
The journalist, upon hearing these words, asked for clarification:
“So you do not feel remorse, but you apologized in order to protect your loved ones as well?”
“Yes, exactly,”
replied Mazurenko.
For insulting the head of the Polish state, the penalty is imprisonment from 3 months to 5 years.