A scandal erupted in Poland after it was revealed that PiS-backed presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki had secretly written a book about a gangster under a pseudonym and later praised himself on public media using a fake identity. Photo: Leszek Szymański, Mikołaj Kuras/PAP/TVP
"Batyr" means "warrior" in Tatar - a fitting pseudonym chosen by Karol Nawrocki to author a book about former mafia boss Nikodem S., known as "Nikoś," who once controlled northern Poland’s Baltic coast.
Karol Nawrocki applauds his own work - while pretending to be someone else
According to an investigation by Polish news outlet Onet, Nawrocki, then an employee of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), not only used a pseudonym but also appeared on public television under a fake identity - disguised with voice alteration and a blurred face - to promote his own book while pretending to be someone else.
Posing as Tadeusz Batyr, Nawrocki boldly claimed that he was inspired by none other than Karol Nawrocki to delve into the history of one of Poland’s most notorious gangsters.
Meanwhile, on his social media profiles, Nawrocki falsely stated that he had personally met Batyr (essentially himself) and praised him for writing the very book he had authored - an irony highlighted by journalist Andrzej Stankiewicz of Onet.
Polish Senator mocks PiS candidate’s self-promotion scandal
"If someone had made this up, I wouldn't have believed it, because even imagination must have its limits," said Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, a senator from the ruling Civic Coalition (KO), commenting on the controversy during an interview with Polskie Radio 24.
According to Kwiatkowski, the most remarkable part of the old TVP Gdańsk interview, in which Karol Nawrocki - under the pseudonym Tadeusz Batyr - discussed his book, was when he stated, “This monumental work could not have been created without the deeply thorough, outstanding, Benedictine research of historian Karol Nawrocki.”
"The punchline is that Tadeusz Batyr - who is actually Karol Nawrocki - was praising himself for conducting historical research for the author of the book, Karol Nawrocki," Kwiatkowski said, amused by the absurdity of the situation. He sarcastically suggested that such an achievement should at least earn Nawrocki a Nobel Prize.
"Maybe not for the book itself, but for the lifetime achievements of Tadeusz Batyr," the senator quipped.
Nawrocki responds to controversy
“Pseudonyms are nothing new in Polish journalism, literature, or academia. As the first historian to study organized crime in communist Poland, it was a natural choice,” said presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki, addressing his past publications under the alias Tadeusz Batyr.
PiS candidate's presidential bid officially submitted
On Tuesday, Nawrocki submitted his candidacy for president to the National Electoral Commission, backed by around 1.3 million signatures. Poland’s presidential election is set for May 18, with a potential runoff on June 1. Candidates must collect at least 100,000 signatures by April 4 to qualify.
Despite the scandal over secretly writing a book under a pseudonym and later praising himself on public media using a fake identity, PiS-backed candidate Karol Nawrocki officially submitted his presidential bid on Tuesday with over 1.3 million signatures of support. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
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Source: Onet/IAR/PAP/TVP3 Gdańsk/PR24
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