Video of vulgar song at event linked with Poland’s ruling coalition sparks criticism

Footage has emerged on social media showing young people shouting profanities directed at the former Polish Law and Justice (PiS) government during a silent disco at an event organised by Poland’s ruling coalition.

The presence of two current government ministers at the event, advertised as inclusive and apolitical, has sparked outrage among the public and PiS politicians.

One of the ministers, in response to the criticism, said that he “regretted that this had happened”.

The video was reportedly first published by Warsaw city councillor Mikołaj Wasiewicz on X on Sunday night. It showed a group of people wearing headphones while jumping and singing along to a Polish-language edit of Eric Prydz’s song “Call on Me”.

The edited version, created by Polish rapper Cypis and named “JBĆ PiS” (in English, “FCK PiS”), became the unofficial anthem of the mass protests against the tightening of the abortion law in 2020.

Wasiewicz, who in April was elected as a Warsaw councillor for Civic Coalition (KO), the largest group in the ruling coalition, quickly removed the video after it attracted heavy criticism.

The video shows sports minister Sławomir Nitras and European affairs minister Adam Szłapka participating in the silent disco. It has been republished by a number of other social media accounts.

The disco took place during Campus Polska Przyszłości, an annual event for young people organised by groups linked to elements of the ruling coalition.

Before Campus Polska Przyszłości opened last week, Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, the face of the initiative and KO’s deputy leader, said that the event “is a place where party politics has never been practised.”

Sorry to interrupt your reading. The article continues below.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

The former prime minister in the PiS government, Mateusz Morawiecki, expressed outrage at the film. “We have bums in government,” he said on X.

PiS MEP Joachim Brudziński, meanwhile, said that he “does not condemn young people” because “youth often comes with stupidity, naivety, sometimes vulgar expression”.

“‘Pathetic, on the other hand, are the politicians who, being old farts already, style themselves with a laidback and youthful attitude, clothing and demeanour, in order to please the young,” he added.

The event was also criticised by those not associated with PiS.

“And later the hypocrites will push the…bill limiting freedom of speech through the Sejm, in the name of fighting hate speech,” said Sławomir Mentzen, one of the leaders of the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party, referring to the justice ministry’s plans to add disability, age, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity as discriminatory grounds included in the hate speech law.

“Hate speech is only when they feel offended, but when they offend or incite hatred, everything is fine,” he added.

“I am genuinely astonished to learn that Campus Poland may not be a completely apolitical event after all,” Ben Stanley, a political scientist, commented ironically.

Asked by tabloid Fakt to comment on the event, the sports minister said that “it was not a panel organised by us, it was a disco”.

“It was a disco at 11 p.m. I don’t know what was playing on the headphones because I wasn’t listening to the headphones at the time,” claimed Nitras, adding that when he heard what was being shouted, he asked the people responsible for the disco “not to do it”.

“I regret that it happened, but I also understand the emotions,” he said.

Trzaskowski, meanwhile, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that “the young people who sang a vulgar song during Sunday’s silent disco were asked not to do so”.

Main image credit: Campus Polska Przyszłości

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.