Polish Independence March Controversy: Police Entry, Data Access and Public Reaction

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The organization known as the Independence March Association faced intense scrutiny as reports emerged that its president, Bartosz Malewski, was being questioned at a police headquarters. At the same time, authorities signaled a forceful entry into the association’s headquarters to disable its servers. A prominent commentator on social media described the situation as a systemic disruption of Poland’s largest patriotic event.

There was a formal decision by the prosecutor’s office to enter the Independence March Association’s headquarters by force. Alongside the association’s leader, the group’s meeting at the location was confirmed by a lawyer representing the Ordo Iuris Institute.

Later, it was announced that the police had begun to force entry into the organization’s Warsaw office. A public appeal urged supporters to gather at the site to protest what was described as scandalous conduct by the prosecutor’s office and police, with claims that the actions bore hallmarks of a crime. The message closed with a defiant note that those involved would not be frightened.

There was further commentary on social platforms about the ongoing events surrounding the headquarters.

READ ALSO: Some coverage questioned whether the Public Prosecution Service was conducting broader searches, noting that the events extended beyond a single residence and touched on broader data requests related to organizing annual marches.

Questioning of Malewski

Malewski was accompanied during questioning by a representative from Ordo Iuris. The pair were at the Warsaw police station, with the inquiry connected to a decision by the Warsaw-Praga Prosecutor’s Office to search the homes of individuals involved in organizing the 2018 Independence March.

There were indications that the Public Prosecution Service was seeking access to data and materials used by the Association in planning the march, a step described by some as an attempt to secure sensitive information tied to the event’s organization.

— a legal representative from Ordo Iuris commented on the matter at the time.

After leaving the police building, the association’s chairman characterized the actions of the prosecutor’s office as a form of surveillance. He described the experience of being questioned in connection with the 2018 march and noted that the prosecutor’s office was pursuing access to data carriers related to the organization of the event, framing the move as a broader intrusion into the association’s operations.

The situation drew urgent commentary as officials announced a plan to disable the organization’s servers, a move described by some critics as a systemic disruption of Poland’s largest patriotic event. The discussion highlighted concerns about the balance between law enforcement actions and the rights of non-governmental organizations involved in public demonstrations.

READ ALSO: Coverage raised questions about what authorities were seeking beyond individual holdings and whether broader data traces connected to the 2018 Independence March might be involved in the investigation. The conversation also touched on the broader implications for protest movements and the handling of sensitive information during investigations.

Source: wPolityce

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