The 71-year-old suspect, accused of making criminal threats against Jerzy Owsiak, stated that his actions were motivated by watching a report on the right-wing TV Republika, which portrayed the charitable work of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) in a negative light.
Polish minister supports revoking TV Republika's license over hate speech
According to IAR, the news agency of Poland's national broadcaster, Polish Radio, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed that grounds for revoking TV Republika's license have been met.
This is in accordance with Article 38 of the Polish Broadcasting Act (KRRiT), which states that a station violating the terms of its license and good practices can have its license revoked.
"There can be no tolerance for hate. But the consequences should be severe, especially in the case of TV Republika," assured Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, on TVN24 Friday morning, referring to the man who threatened Jerzy Owsiak and was "inspired by the hate rhetoric" of TV Republika.
Jerzy Owsiak offers to meet with his attacker
On Thursday evening, the head of WOŚP, Jerzy Owsiak, on the program "Fakty po Faktach" on TVN24, emphasized the need to clearly oppose spreading falsehoods and declared he was "absolutely ready" to meet with the person who made the threats.
Owsiak explained that his stance is about firmly opposing lies because "lies live on their own for a long time." While he is "absolutely in favor of media and freedom of speech," he is "against there being no consequences" for spreading falsehoods and hate speech.
Piotr Skiba, spokesperson for the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office, speaks at a press briefing in the office's lobby on January 9, 2025. A 71-year-old man has been charged with making criminal threats related to the insult of Jurek Owsiak. Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
Source: IAR/TVN24/X/@faktypofaktach/@tvn24/@KGawkowski
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