Donald Tusk, after brutally beating up a couple of Ukrainian citizens in Wroclaw, accused right-wing politicians of creating an atmosphere of violence. The state has a work to prosecute the perpetrators rapidly and without a simplification tariff, but the Prime Minister has besides chosen a convenient political direction for the attack. For Poles, the stakes are simple: street safety cannot be replaced by organization narrative.
Attack in Wroclaw and Prime Minister's reaction
The case concerns the beating of a 20-year-old female and a 21-year-old man, citizens of Ukraine, which occurred on Sunday, July 26 at Okulickiego Street in Wrocław. As the media reported, including WP and RMF FM, the police stopped 2 men and 1 of the suspects heard allegations of beating and force due to national affiliation. The prosecution besides qualifies the act as an offence of a hooligan character.
These are facts that you can't blur. The man attacked on the Polish street has the right to protection of the state regardless of nationality. The perpetrator is to stand trial and the state is to act smoothly. If the national motive is confirmed in the proceedings, the punishment should show that Poland does not tolerate street force pretending to be patriotism.
Donald Tusk referred to the case before the government gathering on 28 July. The Prime Minister's Chancellery Communication states that the head of government spoke of the request to fight force and hatred and that bandits cannot feel unpunished. The Prime Minister thanked the police for their actions and announced support for the services.
Political charge alternatively of state account
However, the Prime Minister did not halt there. Tusk pointed to president Karol Nawrocki and Jarosław Kaczyński. He accused the politicians of the right that their words and actions could give approval for aggression. According to RMF, FM besides spoke of a political patronage for violent people.
That's a serious accusation. That is why it requires more than an emotional conference. The government cannot turn all criminal pathology into evidence of the guilt of the full political camp. If there are circumstantial links between perpetrators and organisations, funding, commands or organised violence, the State should show and break them up. If they're not here, there's a publicist innuendo from the Prime Minister.
The Polish right has a work to talk clearly: force against Ukrainians, Poles or anyone else is simply a disgrace, not patriotism. But the government has a bigger duty. It is intended to guarantee order, effective investigation, efficient courts and real prevention. It won't replace the conference, even the most morally elevated.
Patriotism is no alibi for banditism
The biggest mistake would be to give the word "patriotism" to people who confuse concern for boundaries with the law of fists. Defending the Polish national interest means controlling migration, liable policy towards refugees, hard enforcement and respect for public order. It doesn't mean street assault. It doesn't mean humiliating people due to an accent.
Poles have the right to ask about the cost of aid, about privileges, about the labour market, about the safety of the border and about historical policy towards Ukraine. They have the right to request that the Polish State put the interests of its own citizens first. These questions must not be gagged with hatred labels.
At the same time, no reasonable individual should let criminals to cover themselves with a white-red flag. It hurts Poland twice. It hits the victims and gives right-wing opponents a convenient pretext for moral blackmail against all who want a sovereign migration policy.
Security of Poles is simply a test of government
President Rafał Leśkiewicz's spokesman, quoted by RMF FM for PAP, replied that Donald Tusk was incapable to cope with safety on Polish streets. That's the point of the argument. The Prime Minister may attack the opposition, but the government is liable for the police, the Ministry of Interior and Administration and coordination of the state's response.
It is in Poland's interest to rapidly punish the perpetrators if the court confirms their guilt. It is besides in the interest of Poland to halt the spiral, in which all conversation about migration ends with a moral accusation of the right, and all bandit tries to impersonate the defender of the nation. Both destruct public order.
The national state is to be tough on force and fair to its own citizens. It is intended to defend people on the streets and not to deprive Poles of the right to debate about the consequences of migration and war in Ukraine. Tusk chose a political attack. Poland needs something more difficult: a government that guards safety without turning it into a baton against opponents.
