Former Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has strongly criticized the forceful takeover of media in Poland during an appearance on the British channel GB News. He highlighted what he described as a “radical violation of the law” and “brutal aggression against public media,” drawing comparisons between the government’s actions and the strategies employed by leaders like Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
Speaking on the British channel, Morawiecki expressed concern over the recent events, stating, “There is a radical violation of the law and the use of brutal aggression against public media. Tusk could have chosen a very clear legislative path – instead, he decided to use force, to use the police to liquidate public media. The last time something like this happened was during martial law, and now it is happening again.”
‘Lots of people are very surprised with this aggressive violation of law.’
— GB News (@GBNEWS) January 7, 2024
Former Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, expresses his concern for the new Polish Government getting rid of the state TV channel. pic.twitter.com/hLJgX7wz2B
Underlining the significance of media pluralism in a democratic society, Morawiecki emphasized that during the tenure of the United Right in Poland, there had been a diverse range of voices in the media landscape. He noted that over the past 8 years, public media had presented an alternative viewpoint compared to the predominantly liberal-left media in the country. However, he expressed concerns over the current lack of diversity, asserting, “If you want balance – just like the Democrats would like – you want to know different points of view. Now, there is only one point of view.”
Describing the takeover of public TV as a worrying development, Morawiecki drew parallels between the situation in Poland and the actions of Lukashenko and Putin in monopolizing access to information. He emphasized his reluctance to see Poland associated with constitutional violations.
The takeover of public TV is a very bad development of matters in Poland and I regret it. This is similar to what Lukashenka and Putin are doing – to monopolize access to information. I don't want Poland to be discussed in terms of violating the Constitution.
— Law and Justice (@pisorgpl_EN) January 7, 2024
However, we are not… pic.twitter.com/f5pTNnEErH
In addition, Morawiecki pointed out that politicians from the Law and Justice party have not taken their concerns to international bodies, unlike the Civic Platform, which had attempted to introduce Article 7 in Poland to address issues regarding the rule of law. He called for internal resolution of the problem, urging “free Poles” to participate in a protest scheduled for January 11 instead.