The chairman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has warned that freedoms enjoyed by Poles such as mushroom picking are under threat from the European Union, ahead of what he called “the most important elections since 1989”.
In response, many opposition politicians expressed their amusement and bewilderment at the claims.
Jarosław Kaczyński was speaking at an event in Chełm in southeastern Poland, held as part of a series of “family picnics” organised by the government to promote a rise in child benefit payments but criticised by the opposition as being used “illegally” to promote PiS’s campaign for this autumn’s parliamentary elections.
⚪️🔴 Dziękujemy #Chełm! Do zobaczenia znów na trasie pikników #zMiłościDoPolski! 🙋♀️🙋♂️❤️🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/YtWW4RZJOl
— Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (@pisorgpl) August 6, 2023
“At the moment, in the European Union, in which we want to be, in which most of us want to be, processes are taking place that we cannot look at calmly,” Kaczyński said in Chełm.
“Firstly, the law is being repeatedly broken. The union is based on the treaties, and these treaties are being violated today, by the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).”
Last month, the European Commission filed a complaint against Poland at the CJEU, arguing that Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal (TK) violated EU law by challenging its primacy and that the current TK is itself not a lawfully constituted entity. However, the head of TK, widely seen as being under the influence of PiS, has criticised the move, calling the complaint “clearly unlawful”.
During the picnic, Kaczyński went on to tell attendees that “the so-called European project” is about the concentration of power in Brussels. “Do you know who has the greatest influence in Brussels? Exactly, Germany. And we would have to go from living under one shoe from the East [the Soviet Union] to the other shoe from the West.”
Kaczyński then used the privatisation of forests as an example of what he claims is the EU, under German leadership, limiting the sovereignty of other member states. “In many countries, forests are in the hands of private individuals or corporations and entry is forbidden. It is very rare to find a forest that you can easily enter.”
“We have this freedom. We can go mushroom picking – a huge number of Poles go mushroom picking. We go to the forest to rest, to go for a walk, for many reasons. This is part of our freedom and we will not let this freedom be taken away from us,” said Kaczyński.
In response to Kaczyński’s comments, many opposition politicians took to social media to express their amusement and bewilderment at the claims.
“Kaczyński declared that the freedom of mushroom picking is at stake in these elections. I feel a bit strange having such a rival…” wrote Donald Tusk, the leader of Poland’s largest opposition party Civic Platform (PO).
Kaczyński oświadczył, że stawką tych wyborów jest wolność grzybobrania. Trochę dziwnie się czuję, mając takiego rywala…
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) August 6, 2023
Katarzyna Lubnauer, chairwoman of the liberal Modern (Nowoczesna) party, speculated that Kaczyński has “departed” from reality amid his latest comments. “It’s not sexualisation anymore, but now a ban on mushroom picking threatens us from the rotten West?”, wrote Lubnauer, referencing a commonly shared sentiment amongst certain PiS politicians that Western society is “sexualising children”.
MP Aleksandra Gajewska of PO also expressed her concerns for the mental wellbeing of 74-year-old Kaczyński in light of his comments. Speaking to broadcaster TVN24, she admitted that “this is not the first time I have the impression that the chairman is detached from reality.”
Gajewska pointed out that PiS had actually voted against the inclusion of special protection of forests in the constitution in 2014.
In Poland, mushroom picking is a popular pastime, drawing crowds to the woods, especially in the summer and early autumn. Mushrooms are also considered a delicacy by many and play an important part in Polish cuisine as a wide variety of them is used in traditional soups, sauces, and stews.
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Anna Hackett is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a recent graduate of European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and has had previous journalistic experience with the Irish Independent News & Media group.
