“Tusk and Czarzasty are keeping in the freezer a draft bill that I presented in mid-April. Its adoption would allow deportations without the need to write tweets,” said PiS deputy chairman Przemysław Czarnek on social media, referring to Friday’s reckless drive by a Ukrainian man near Morskie Oko and the online reaction from government officials.
The incident took place on Friday evening. An influencer drove a sports car along the asphalt road leading to Morskie Oko despite a ban on private vehicles in the area of Tatra National Park. At the site, he took photos with his partner in front of the car before returning along the same route.
The man was stopped by police while leaving the park area. Officers issued him a 100 PLN fine and eight penalty points. The penalty schedule for such an offense provides for fines ranging from 20 PLN to 5,000 PLN.
Roman Wieczorek, spokesman for the Zakopane police, said the driver denied completing the full drive to Morskie Oko and claimed he had only driven past the barrier before turning around. Police accepted his explanation and, on that basis, imposed the 100 PLN fine.
The case sparked outrage on social media, where internet users pointed to the very low penalty for violating regulations in a protected area.
Online statements from government politicians
Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński quickly commented on the matter on social media.
“The reckless drive by a Ukrainian driver on the road to Morskie Oko has understandably caused outrage. I have asked the Ministry of the Interior and Administration to urgently determine all details of the incident and draw severe consequences,” the prime minister wrote on X.
The head of the Interior Ministry stated on X that “the perpetrator of the Morskie Oko stunt will be held accountable.”
“In connection with the disturbance of public order, at the request of the police, he will be placed on the list of undesirable persons with a five-year ban on entering Poland,” the minister announced. He added that “breaking the law will always meet with a firm response.”
“Goodbye”
The incident was also commented on by PiS deputy chairman Przemysław Czarnek. The opposition politician pointed out that he had already presented solutions that could be applied in the current situation.
“The Ukrainian driver took his luxury car on a reckless ride to Morskie Oko. In Poland, every guest must follow our rules. Otherwise: goodbye,” he wrote on the platform.
As he noted, “Tusk and Czarzasty are keeping in the freezer the draft bill that I presented in mid-April.”
“Its adoption would allow deportations without the need to write tweets,” he stressed.
“Zero leniency”
The draft bill concerning foreigners was presented by the PiS politician during a meeting with residents of Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In addition to rules concerning deportation after a second offense and a 10-year stay in Poland, the opposition also proposes, among other measures, that citizenship should be granted after six — rather than three — years of marriage, after passing a Polish language test at the C1 level, and after completing an exam on Polish culture and history.
Czarnek presented the proposals on April 17.