Stanisław Żaryn commented on the latest Onet.pl piece that accuses current authorities of what it terms a visa scandal. The Deputy Minister for the Coordinating Office of Special Services analyzed selected excerpts from the article.
Żaryn references the report titled: New facts about the Onet.pl visa scandal. ‘Poland and Europe’s security placed in the hands of an intermediary from India’
The Government Plenipotentiary for the Security of the Information Space of the Republic of Poland draws attention to the creation of an atmosphere of suspicion.
Once again the media—this time Onet.pl—presents an internally inconsistent account of irregular visa issuance to Poland. The piece appears designed to manipulate public opinion. At the outset, a serious opinion from the former head of the Home Army about the initiation of using intermediaries to handle visa applications by Polish institutions is cited, proposing that this should trigger alarm bells. This framing fosters distrust and signals the issue is grave. Yet the editors did not follow that line consistently. The decision to employ middlemen dates back to the PO-PSL government, with the first contracts signed in 2011. Onet, however, argues that cooperation with intermediaries weighed down PiS.
– Żaryn notes.
In subsequent passages, the text makes claims that the Indian intermediaries were linked to widespread corruption and the procurement of visas by foreigners. The article builds a narrative that the Polish state lost control over the process. Yet a later paragraph reveals that up to 90 percent of applications submitted in India were rejected, and only 10 percent received a positive decision. The author admits the system was under some level of oversight and clarifies that there was no automation or mass-scale operation. Nevertheless, a single source is cited to suggest a vast scale of the practice in India alone, even though the writer appears doubtful of the statements cited.
– he adds.
Stirring emotions
Żaryn also highlights efforts to provoke emotional responses around the case. For weeks, media coverage has circulated claims about irregular visa issuance that contradict facts and logical coherence, attempting to inflame public sentiment. This appears to be a case discovered by the Central Anti-Craud Bureau and being addressed, yet the topic is inflated for political reasons. It is alleged to involve foreign entities that cause real damage to Poland, including accusations that Poland is a primary driver of Europe’s migration challenges.
– we read.
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(via wPolityce)