“Strong traces of right-wing extremism” in activity of Kraków terrorist, says justice minister

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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.

Poland’s justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, says that investigators have so far found “very strong traces of right-wing extremism” in the activity of Michał Oksiński, the man who carried out Saturday’s mass terrorist shooting in Kraków that left six people dead.

The perpetrator’s search history included websites relating to Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who killed 77 people during two attacks in 2011.

Żurek’s comments come amid intense debate and dispute in Poland over the beliefs and motives of Oksiński, who on Monday died from the injuries he sustained during a shootout with police that brought his rampage to an end.

On Tuesday, Żurek, who also serves as prosecutor general, spoke to local broadcaster Radio Kraków about the progress of the investigation into Oksiński. He confirmed that the perpetrator had not left behind any letter or other kind of message revealing his motives.

“Those motives are being investigated,” said the minister. “There are very strong traces of right-wing extremism. I can already confirm some information because the services have access to the perpetrator’s computer. Indeed, visits to websites related to Anders Breivik are visible.”

Żurek also pointed to the fact that, as prosecutors announced on Sunday, a so-called Gadsden flag (showing a snake above the words “Don’t tread on me”) had been found in Oksiński’s home.

Although the National Prosecutor’s Office emphasised that the flag is not associated with any one ideology or organisation, Żurek noted that it was displayed during the attack on the United States Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump in 2021.

“We know well that during the attack on the Capitol, there were quite a few of these flags among far-right groups in the United States,” said the minister. “This flag [in Oksiński’s home] also sends a signal to the security services and the prosecutor’s office.”

Żurek added that a search of the perpetrator’s workplace had also identified “symbolism there that could point to this thread [of right-wing extremism]”, but provided no further details.

The minister noted, however, that investigators are also taking into account the potential for “mental disorders” playing a role in the actions of Oksiński, whose parents and sister were found shot dead in his home.

Żurek’s remarks come following controversy in Poland over a statement by interior minister Marcin Kierwiński on Saturday, in the immediate aftermath of the attack, when he said that early indications suggest that Oksiński had held “very radical views”, including a “fascination with far-right ideologies”.

Over the following two days, Kierwiński refused to provide evidence supporting those claims, and in a TV interview on Sunday evening said that he had simply been sharing “first hypotheses”.

That led some right-wing opposition politicians and commentators to accuse Kierwiński of spreading false claims, either through incompetence or as a deliberate attempt to associate the attack with the right.

However, speaking to Radio Kraków on Tuesday, Żurek said that “it seems that what Minister Kierwiński communicated in those first hours is confirmed by the evidence”.

On social media, many people have also been sharing alleged images of Oksiński’s past activities, both online and in real life, claiming that they show he held left-wing views.

However, some of those images have proven to be false, such as one purporting to show him at a pro-refugee rally (the photograph is genuine, but the person in it was not Oksiński) and another purporting to show him shaking hands with Kierwiński (the image was AI-generated).

Further alleged images from Oskiński’s social media accounts remain unverified and also depict posts that were made six or seven years ago.

On Monday, digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski told Polsat News that there had been an “enormous wave of disinformation” in the wake of Saturday’s tragedy. He criticised “pseudo-journalists and politicians” who had shared such content.

“Digital platforms acted very responsibly, removing this content quickly,” said Gawkowski. However, he added that X, the social media service owned by Elon Musk, had been an exception and was “where the most radicalisation occurred”.

Meanwhile, the interior ministry’s spokeswoman, Karolina Gałecka, announced on Monday that they would notify prosecutors about the creation and dissemination of the AI-generated image of Kierwiński shaking hands with Oksiński.

She said it had been spread by social media accounts associated with right-wing broadcaster Republika.

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: Jakub Wlodek / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Daniel Tilles

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.