“If anything bad happens to any of our journalists or readers, responsibility will lie not only with Mr. Jastrun and the media that publish his texts, but also with the current authorities, because they create an atmosphere of permission—thus encouraging such a campaign,” said Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska, in an interview with the Niezależna.pl portal, commenting on a scandalous column by Tomasz Jastrun published in Przegląd.
Jastrun calls for killing the authors and readers of “Gazeta Polska”
A controversial column by Tomasz Jastrun was published in the weekly Przegląd. The author stated that, in his opinion, the authors and readers of Gazeta Polska should be… killed.
“With the authors of Gazeta Polska, just like with its readers, it is no longer possible to have a discussion; there is no common ground for debate—only a beating or simply murder remains,” Jastrun wrote.
Sakiewicz: They feel a sense of impunity
Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska and president of TV Republika, commented on the shocking article in an interview with Niezależna.pl.
“It seems that the liberal left has reached a point where the desire to prove they are better—that their way of thinking about life is superior—is beginning to eliminate anyone who thinks differently. And the suggestion of murdering journalists or readers shows that they feel a sense of impunity, even a sense of duty granted to them by the current authorities,” he said.
Sakiewicz stressed that “the ongoing campaign, the organization of hate sessions by the current government and its spokesperson against Telewizja Republika, the pressure on advertisers, dragging us before prosecutors, the police, and the courts, creates an atmosphere in which individuals as disturbed as Mr. Jastrun can publish proposals to murder journalists.”
The editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska also stated that “if anything bad happens to any of our journalists or readers, responsibility will lie not only with Mr. Jastrun and the media that publish his texts, but also with the current authorities, because they create consent—thus encouraging such a campaign.”
“We will consider reporting the case to prosecutors”
Asked what steps he would take in response to the controversial column, Sakiewicz replied: “We will certainly have to increase security for our media outlets, because we cannot rely on protection from the authorities, who are wiretapping, tracking, searching for compromising materials, and staging provocations.”
“We will also consider reporting the case to prosecutors, although in Mr. Jastrun’s case, a psychiatrist might also be needed,” he added.