EU hypocrisy over Polish government attack on media

• “The systematic attack by the current Polish Government on citizens and journalists who are critical of the current regime is outrageous,” UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP said today in London, echoing the Euro-federalist MEPs’ attack on Hungary’s media laws earlier this year, but silent over the perpetrations of the pro-EU Tusk government.

“It has been brought to my attention by MEP Zbigniew Ziobro (Law and Justice party) that in recent months, scores of highly regarded and experienced journalists have been dismissed, solely for being critical of the Tusk government,” Mr Farage said.

“A 23-year-old blogger Robert Frycz who ran a website making fun of the President, experienced a dawn raid by a SWAT team.

 

“Radio Maria journalist-priest, Fr Tadeusz Rydzyk has been publicly threatened by a government deputy and denounced by the Polish Foreign minister.”

“These are just some prominent examples of the Polish Government undermining freedom of speech and independence of the media.

“Many MEPs and EU leaders attacked Hungary over its change of a Press law, even though no journalists were sacked.

“The silence of Mr Barroso, and leaders of EU supporting parties in the European Parliament about the situation in Poland shows their blatent hypocrisy.

“The EU has no problems with attacks on Press Freedom and the basic human right of free speech as long as it is carried out by EUrophile Donald Tusk and his government. Where is their outrage now?

“I call on Prime minister Tusk to reinstate the journalists sacked so far and apologise to the Polish people for his undermining of human rights in his country.

“Now is the time for Manuel Barroso and leaders of Political groups in the European Parliament to defend press freedom… unless they really don’t mean it, and were just trying to score points against a euro-critical Hungary.”
 
List of sacked journalists
(provided by MEP Zbigniew Ziobro)
 
Below is a list of some of the programmes that were removed and the journalists who were dismissed solely for political reasons:

• dismissal of Jacek Sobala,  director of Program III radio station of the Polish Radio;

• removal of the programmes presented by journalists Joanna Lichocka, Tomasz Sakiewicz, and Rafał Ziemkiewicz from Program III;

• removal of the programme “Warto rozmawiać” presented by Jan Pospieszalski from TVP2, one of the channels of the public broadcaster, TVP;

• dismissal of Anita Gargas, and removing her programme “Misja Specjalna” from TVP1;

• removal of the programme “Wojna Światów” presented by Grzegorz Górny and Tomasz Terlikowski from TVP1;

• removal of the programme of Bronisław Wildstein “Bronisław Wildstein przedstawia” from TVP1;

• removal of the programme “Antysalon” of Rafał Ziemkiewicz from TVP Info channel;

• removal of the programme “Boso przez świat” presented by Wojciech Cejrowski from TVP2;

• dismissal of Jacek Karnowski, the head of the main news programme, “Wiadomości”;

• removal of the programme  “Polityka przy kawie” presented by Joanna Lichocka from TVP1;

• removal of the programme “Pod Prasą” presented by Tomasz Sakiewcz in TVP1 channel.

The above list contains only a selection of the most evident examples. These journalists are well known, but the purge has affected many more people. Their only fault was the fact that they participated in the production of programmes which were regarded as inconvenient or critical towards the political forces that dominate in Poland these days.

http://freedomnewsnetwork.co.uk/eu-hypocrisy-over-polish-government-attack-on-media-3