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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
A German man has been charged in Poland with insulting a state symbol, a crime that carries a potential prison sentence. The accused has admitted to tearing down Polish flags on a border bridge and throwing some into the river, saying that he was drunk at the time and regrets his actions.
The incident in question took place on 29 July on the bridge over the Oder that connects the Polish town of Słubice with the German city of Frankfurt an der Oder. The man ripped down eight Polish flags attached to railings, some of which he threw into the river, others onto the ground.
Prokuratura przedstawiła 58-letniemu obywatelowi Niemiec zarzut publicznego znieważenia flag Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. https://t.co/y28O0z3YAY
— Interia (@Int_Wydarzenia) August 14, 2025
The perpetrator’s identity was eventually determined by Polish police through analysis of surveillance footage and speaking with people believed to have knowledge of who had carried out the crime.
This week, the man – a 58-year-old named only as Thomas S. under Polish privacy law – was detained by police at a shop in Słubice and then charged by prosecutors with publicly insulting and damaging the national flag, a crime that can be punished with up to one year in prison.
In a statement, prosecutors said that Thomas S. had “admitted to committing the crime, explaining that he was heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident and unable to explain his behaviour”. They added that “he also expressed regret and remorse”.
Prosecutors have requested that a court issue a ruling on the case without a hearing, because the evidence is so clear. They want the man to be handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and a 2,000 zloty (€469) fine.
Last month, Polish flags were installed on the Słubice-Frankfurt bridge by members of the Border Defence Movement (ROG), an organisation that emerged this year to oppose Germany’s policy of sending thousands of migrants back to Poland after they crossed the border illegally.
Earlier this month, European Union flags were then installed on the bridge alongside the Polish ones. “This is a joint initiative of both cities, a reminder of our close cooperation, friendship, and shared European values,” declared the local authorities in Słubice.
The bridge in Słubice has recently become one of many crossings between Poland and Germany that have become the site of protests on the Polish side against Germany’s migrant-return policies.
Poland has a wide range of defamation and insult laws that are among the broadest and strictest in any democratic country, according to a study by the OSCE.
It is illegal to, among other things, insult the Polish nation or state (punishable by up to three years in prison), the president (up to three years in prison) and other public officials (up to two years in prison), as well as to offend religious feelings (up to two years in prison).
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.
Main image credit: Gmina Słubice/Facebook
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.
