A man who refused a fine issued by police for wearing a t-shirt with the words “F**k PiS” – a protest against the ruling party – has been ordered to pay by a judge. The accused, who wore a t-shirt bearing the same slogan when he appeared in court, says it is an attack on free speech and has pledged to appeal.
In June this year, Janusz Ziętkiewicz was among a group of protesters at the unveiling of a monument in the town of Jarocin honouring the late Jan Szyszko, who served as environment minister in national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) governments from 2005-2007 and 2015-2018.
Police attempted to issue fines to Ziętkiewicz (pictured above) for having the words “J***ć PiS” (“F**k PiS”) on his t-shirt and displayed in his car, reports local news service Jarocinska.pl.
That slogan has become common among anti-government protesters, in particular during the mass protests sparked by the introduction of a near-total ban on abortion.
We explain six of the symbols that have come to characterise the mass abortion protests in Poland, including the red lightning bolt, the word "Wypierdalać", umbrellas, and the cryptic ***** *** https://t.co/qTCcLzZ5de
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) October 31, 2020
Under Polish law, “using obscene words in a public place” is a misdemeanour that can be punished with a fine of up to 1,500 zloty (€320). However, Ziętkiewicz refused to accept the punishment, resulting in the case being taken to court.
On Friday, Ziętkiewicz arrived for the proceedings wearing the t-shirt in question. The judge upheld the police’s decision, ordering him to pay a 50 zloty (€11) fine for the t-shirt, the same amount for the sign in his car, plus 30 zloty in court fees.
Ziętkiewicz, however, says he will appeal against the decision rather than pay the fine. He called the ruling a “disgrace” and a “mockery of free speech”, reports Jarocinska.pl.
Sąd karze za 'J***ć PiS' na koszulce i samochodzie. 'Chodzi o wolność słowa, wolność wyrażania poglądów politycznych' https://t.co/PpklhvaUuF
— Bartosz T. Wieliński 🇵🇱🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@Bart_Wielinski) November 26, 2022
“This is an attack on freedom of political expression,” said his lawyer, Robert Kornalewicz, who also recently represented a woman who successfully appealed against a conviction for the crime of insulting the president after she shouted “F**k Duda” at a protest.
“In recent years, we have seen a phenomenon of unfounded accusations against citizens critical of those in power,” added Kornalewicz.
“It should be remembered that freedom of expression, including the freedom to express political views, for which we have fought for years as a nation, is one of the basic principles of a democratic society.”
However, Chief Inspector Grzegorz Kaźmierczak, representing the police in court, said that the officers had not intended to limit the right to political criticism, but simply to enforce the law against obscene language.
“Everyone can have their own views and express them, but there are rules regulating this, requiring the observance of certain ethical and moral standards,” he said, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza. He noted an opinion by Jerzy Bralczyk, a renowned professor of linguistics, who deemed “j***ć” to be one of five main vulgar words in Polish.
The judge in the case, Karolina Kiejnich-Kruk, agreed that the law must be upheld in this case, saying that the court cannot “respond to lawlessness with lawlessness…If such verbal aggression becomes the norm, will physical aggression be next?”
She also noted that the right to criticism is not “unlimited” and that “civil disobedience involves a willingness to pay the penalty for that disobedience”, reports Gazeta Wyborcza.
Main image credit: Janusz Ziętkiewicz
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.
