“You have to show that you stand by the values and follow this line of commitment, because you cannot give satisfaction to these haters,” says Oskar Szafarowicz, a guest on Telewizja wPolsce24.
Speaking with editor Bartosz Żwiżński, Szafarowicz reported on today’s vulgar attack on a Warsaw street, where a young PiS activist was insulted and struck by an unknown assailant.
Szafarowicz described how he was approached in a small shop in Saska Kępa, where the attacker spoke to him in crude terms, recognizing him as a member of the youth wing of the Law and Justice party.
As Szafarowicz was leaving the shop, a man on a bicycle rode up, pressed him at first and then punched and kicked him. Several bystanders who connected Szafarowicz to his political activities stepped in to defend the young politician.
After Szafarowicz had walked roughly 50 meters, the assailant reached him, dismounted his bike, and, according to Szafarowicz, delivered a series of blows including a forceful kick.
— he told Telewizja wPolsce24.
The activist added that he believed the incident reflected the spread of hate speech against the political right, a climate he linked to the brutal case of a late tragedy involving Marek Rosiak.
Given the level of contempt toward the right, Szafarowicz warned that another violent incident could occur if such rhetoric continues to grow unchecked.
Incitement to hatred
Editor Żwiżński asked whether Szafarowicz had ever reached a point where politics and hate had worn him down.
There were moments when his family faced indiscriminate threats and intimidation. This was deeply painful for him. Yet when he was attacked, even physically today, he felt a crisis moment but chose to reaffirm his values and maintain his line of commitment. He believed that giving satisfaction to the haters would only embolden them, and he refused to yield to their aggressive rhetoric.
He expressed that standing firm in his beliefs was essential, especially in light of a disturbing message some voices have circulated about the supposed eight stars they shout.
Szafarowicz also attributed a significant portion of the political climate to what he described as left-liberal media and authorities who, in his view, fuel a cycle of hatred.
He criticized what he called a pattern among some political commentators and politicians who, in his view, lack substantive proposals and resort to promoting fear and division as a political tactic.
According to Szafarowicz, those forces aim to suppress activists like himself, intimidate their families, and, in the worst case, threaten their physical safety. He argued that figures in the political arena have propagated a narrative that politics should be conducted through hostility rather than constructive dialogue.
He concluded by underscoring that the overarching goal behind such rhetoric is to erode the resolve of activists and erode civil space for political disagreement.
The conversation with Szafarowicz illuminates a broader concern about how political debate can slip into personal risk when hatred is allowed to fester within public discourse. The discussion is available on Telewizja wPolsce24.
Source attribution: (Source: wPolityce)