Today on Twitter, Donald Tusk posted a message referring to a “person planning an attack” on him and his family, influenced by TVP Info, Wiadomości, and TV Republika. The prosecution, revealing the details of the case, stated that a drunk Michał B. sent Tusk a threatening and insulting email in November 2022. “This time he really went too far. Exploiting a disturbed individual and quoting something we cannot verify truly speaks to his hysteria,” commented Tomasz Sakiewicz, President of the Board of TV Republika.
Donald Tusk claimed on Twitter that the person who “planned an attack on me and my family” testified that he “acted under the influence of TVP Info, Wiadomości, and TV Republika.”
“I just left the courtroom in Sopot. The man who planned the attack on me and my family testified that he acted under the influence of TVP Info, News and TV Republika. More of a victim than an assassin,” he wrote.
Właśnie wyszedłem z sali sądowej w Sopocie. Człowiek, który planował zamach na mnie i moją rodzinę zeznał, że działał pod wpływem TVP Info, Wiadomości i TV Republika. Bardziej ofiara niż zamachowiec.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) November 9, 2023
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk, explaining the background of the case, did not provide information about an assassination attempt on the Civic Platform leader or his family. Grażyna Wawryniuk, the spokesperson for the Gdańsk prosecutor’s office, explained that it concerned threats in an email sent to Tusk and his close ones in November 2022 by 43-year-old Michał B.
The 43-year-old has been accused of threats and insults. According to the Polish Press Agency, Michał B. stated in the prosecutor’s office that he had argued with his family, consumed alcohol, and then watched television, learning about the possible elimination of certain social benefits by the Civic Platform. He explained that this upset him, leading him to write the threatening email.
Sakiewicz: Tusk Went Too Far
“Under normal circumstances, I would say that Donald Tusk is obsessed with me and the media I run. There were three lawsuits, he once called me Brad Pitt, which was nice, but he wanted to be mean. Now they are accusing us because some madman who is facing prison said that he was motivated by us. Such information needs to be confirmed. Donald Tusk is an extremely unreliable politician. Even those closest to him don’t trust him, let alone when he talks about his enemies. I must say that I am threatened by several people every day and I wouldn’t even be able to pursue it in court. Additionally, I can hear the echo of quotes made up by TVN or Gazeta Wyborcza. It wouldn’t even occur to me to hold these media responsible for the fact that some emotionally unstable man is threatening me,” said Tomasz Sakiewicz, President of the Board of TV Republika.
At the end of 2022, the Minister of Interior and Administration, Mariusz Kamiński, assigned State Protection Service security to Donald Tusk, as requested by him. The reason cited was threats against the Civic Platform leader.
Attack on TVP after Adamowicz’s Murder
Accusations against, among others, TVP (Polish Television) arose from the opposition, particularly concerning the murder of Gdańsk’s president, Paweł Adamowicz. The reason was numerous materials by the station, including criminal proceedings involving Adamowicz. It was suggested that Stefan Wilmont, already convicted of the crime, watched only public television channels during his previous incarcerations. However, this was denied by the Prison Service, pointing out that inmates have a wide range of TV channels to choose from.
One of Wilmont’s fellow inmates, in 2022, told the “Gazeta Wyborcza” in Tricity that Adamowicz’s killer “constantly watched television” and read various newspapers, including “GW,” “Dziennik Bałtycki,” “Polityka,” and “Wprost.”
Calming emotions in current politics should be the task of all parties and media. A few weeks ago, marked the 13th anniversary of the political murder of Law and Justice office worker in Łódź, Marek Rosiak. The assailant, Ryszard Cyba, entered the PiS office and fired shots. He was captured and handed over to the police, shouting in the presence of local media that he “wanted to kill Kaczyński” but “had too small a weapon.” “I am against PiS, and I wanted to kill him,” he shouted.