Jarosław Kaczyński, the chairman of Poland’s ruling party, has described his main election rival Donald Tusk as “the personification of pure evil” and called the opposition “traitors [who] must be morally exterminated”.
The Law and Justice (PiS) leader, who also serves as deputy prime minister, was speaking at a series of “military picnics” being organised by the defence ministry around Poland.
At one today in the town of Uniejów, central Poland, Kaczyński declared that “Tusk is the personification of evil in Poland, pure evil”.
Jarosław Kaczyński w formie.
Odcinek 85: Donald Tusk to personifikacja zła w Polsce. pic.twitter.com/5KBWGf9nu3— Max Hübner (@HubnerrMax) August 14, 2023
He accused the opposition leader of “gathering all dark elements under his banner in order simply to win, to implement a plan that is not Polish, but [a plan] of the Brussels bureaucracy”. The only way to prevent this from happening is “voting for Law and Justice, for a strong Poland”.
Yesterday, at another military picnic in the southeastern town of Zawichost, Kaczyński warned that “in Poland there is a truly powerful camp of national treason that today is striving for power”.
“Someone here among the audience said that traitors should be exterminated,” the PiS leader continued. “Yes, they must be morally exterminated.”
The national-conservative PiS is leading the polls ahead of October’s parliamentary elections, with support of around 34%. Civic Coalition (KO) – dominated by Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform (PO) – is in second with 29%.
Kaczyński has regularly warned of the alleged dangers of an opposition victory, saying in May that it would mean “the end of Poland”. PiS accuses PO of acting in Germany and the EU’s interests, rather than Poland’s. In June, Kaczyński also suggested that Tusk’s views “very often coincide with Russian propaganda”.
For his part, Tusk recently suggested that Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party is supported by – and shares a mentality with – unemployed men who beat women and children. He has also called the PiS government “evil”.
Opposition leader Tusk says the ruling PiS party is supported by – and shares a similar mentality with – unemployed men who drink and beat women and children
The remarks – now deleted from his party's social media – show "how he perceives Poles", says PiS https://t.co/rvakXlIxgz
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 12, 2023
Opposition figure Adam Jarubas, deputy leader of the Polish People’s Party (PSL), said that the PiS chairman’s talk yesterday of “traitors” suggests that “Kaczyński has gone mad”.
“What now? A repeat of Trump in Poland? A call to attack parliament if they lose [the election]? Lynching people with different political beliefs?” he asked.
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Main image credit: Tomasz Stanczak / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
