Polish writer facing prison for calling president a moron

[Kowani]

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A popular Polish writer is facing a potential sentence of up to three years in prison for calling the nation’s president a “moron” on social media.

Jakub Zulczyk had criticized the manner in which Polish President Andrzej Duda — a close ally of former President Donald Trump — had reacted to the electoral victory of President Joe Biden last year.

Zulczyk wrote on Facebook on Monday that a district prosecutor in Warsaw had filed an indictment against him based on an article in the penal code that makes it a crime to insult the head of state.

Zulczyk said he believed that he is probably “the first writer in this country in a long time to be tried for what they wrote.” Zulczyk is best known for writing a novel that was turned into the HBO crime series “Blinded by the Lights.” Prosecutors made their indictment based on the complaint of a private individual. Duda’s spokesman, Blazej Spychalski, told the Interia news site Tuesday that neither the president nor his office were parties in the matter and had made no request for the writer to be charged.

People have also been charged in the past for insulting previous Polish presidents in the post-communist era under the country’s broad insult laws. Fines or community service — and not years in prison — are seen as the most likely punishment.

However, the case also comes amid what many see as an erosion of democratic standards in Poland since a right-wing populist party, Law and Justice, won power in 2015. Critics accuse authorities of aggressively harnessing prosecutorial powers on behalf of those in power. The comment in question concerns a critical response by Zulczyk to a congratulatory tweet by Duda after U.S. media called the election for Biden on Nov. 7.

Duda offered his congratulations to Biden “for a successful presidential campaign. As we await the nomination by the Electoral College, Poland is determined to upkeep high-level and high-quality PL-US strategic partnership for an even stronger alliance.”

At the time of Duda’s tweet, many other European leaders were offering full-fledged congratulations to Biden. At home, Duda was criticized by many for suggesting that Biden’s victory was somehow not definitive and that the Electoral College could still change the result.

That same day, Zulczyk wrote on Facebook that as someone with a master’s degree in American studies, he had never heard of a “nomination by the Electoral College” in the U.S. system. He said the Democratic candidate had clearly won the election.

“Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. Andrzej Duda is a moron,” he wrote.

Polish writer Jakub Zulczyk is facing possible jail time after he criticized Polish President Andrzej Duda and referred to him as a "moron" on social media. According to The Associated Press, Zulczyk slammed Duda in a Facebook post where he responded to the president's reaction to President Biden winning the 2020 presidential election.

Duda, who was a close ally of former President Trump, congratulated Biden on a successful campaign while stating that Poland was still waiting for a "nomination by the Electoral College." "Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. Andrzej Duda is a moron," Zulczyk wrote on Facebook, noting that he had a master's degree in American studies and that he had never heard of a "nomination by the Electoral College," the AP reported.

On Monday, Zulczyk wrote in a Facebook post that an indictment had been filed against him by a district prosecutor. He said that due to an article in the penal code it is considered a crime to insult the president.

Zulczyk, who is known for writing a novel that was adapted into the HBO crime series "Blinded by the Lights," also noted that he may be "the first writer in this country in a long time to be tried for what they wrote."

Insulting Polish presidents has resulted in charges for Polish citizens in the past. Due to the country's laws, fines and community service have been given as punishment in the country's post-communist era, according to AP.

tl;dr: The writer, Jakub Zulczyk, called the president, Andrzej Duda, a "moron" on Facebook after he tried to continue casting doubt on the US elections. He's now facing 3 years in prison under a statute that criminalizes insulting the head of state-a drastic escalation for a "crime" that was previously limited to fines.

the phrase "freedom is in retreat worldwide" may be slightly hyperbolic, but in many cases, it is accurate-as we see with the ever-increasing authoritarianism of the Polish Government

NSG, what do you think? is this proportionate? should this be a crime at all? What do you expect the outcome to be? And what can be done to combat the global creep of authoritarianism in countries like Poland, which is just one example of a global trend?

[Atheris]

Bullshit.

[National Capitalist United States]

And this is why restricting free speech is bad. This shouldn't have happened.

[Xmara]

That's so stupid, and also quite alarming. Insulting the president shouldn't be a crime at all. Not like the man threatened to murder the president. IDK what Polish free speech laws are like, but restricting free speech is wrong.

I mean, if insulting the president was illegal in the US, more than half of the country would've been locked up during the Trump years. Most of NSG would be locked up.

[South Reinkalistan]

Most of NSG would be locked up.

The good ending

[National Capitalist United States]

That's so stupid, and also quite alarming. Insulting the president shouldn't be a crime at all. Not like the man threatened to murder the president. IDK what Polish free speech laws are like, but restricting free speech is wrong.

Based

[Atheris]

Most of NSG would be locked up.

The good ending

the based ending

[Intaglio]

Just for calling him a moron? How sad and ridiculuous.

[Middle Barael]

Poland, the bane of the EU, now the bane of free speech too apparently.

I mean to be fair, we all saw this coming. With the anti-abortion laws, anti-LGBRQ+ laws, the nationalist anti-immigrant party being in charge, and the law banning the term “Polish concentration camps”, it was only a matter of time before this happened too. I didn’t expect it would happen so soon, but I’m not very surprised.

And to think that we all stood in “Solidarność” with Poland.

[Ezmwalia]

This is awful, and I expect that all of the right wing free speech brigade, especially those who think that Donald Trump should have won the election, will be aghast at this flagrant disregard for freedom of speech.

[Rusozak]

Is it just me, or is Poland slowly becoming more like Nazi Germany than present day Germany?

[Xmara]

The good ending

the based ending

Lock us up! Lock us up!

[South Reinkalistan]

Is it just me, or is Poland slowly becoming more like Nazi Germany than present day Germany?

Ladies and gentlemen: Godwin's Law is proven once more.

I mean at any rate this is a dumb comparison to make IMO; not that Poland isn't being shit, but because modern Germany doesn't really resemble Nazi Germany (thankfully) at all so there's not a very high bar there.

[Joohan]

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences sweetie * taps nails together *

[Rusozak]

Is it just me, or is Poland slowly becoming more like Nazi Germany than present day Germany?

Ladies and gentlemen: Godwin's Law is proven once more.

I mean at any rate this is a dumb comparison to make IMO; not that Poland isn't being shit, but because modern Germany doesn't really resemble Nazi Germany (thankfully) at all so there's not a very high bar there.

Well, true. Perhaps not the best comparison. But authoritarianism and ethno-nationalism has become disturbingly popular in Poland's right wing. This is just another one of those small steps towards fascism.

[National Capitalist United States]

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences sweetie * taps nails together *

This would make sense if the president was somewhat left-wing

[Celritannia]

Is it just me, or is Poland slowly becoming more like Nazi Germany than present day Germany?

Ladies and gentlemen: Godwin's Law is proven once more.

I mean at any rate this is a dumb comparison to make IMO; not that Poland isn't being shit, but because modern Germany doesn't really resemble Nazi Germany (thankfully) at all so there's not a very high bar there.

No one really cares about Godwin's law, tbh.

[South Reinkalistan]

Ladies and gentlemen: Godwin's Law is proven once more.

I mean at any rate this is a dumb comparison to make IMO; not that Poland isn't being shit, but because modern Germany doesn't really resemble Nazi Germany (thankfully) at all so there's not a very high bar there.

Well, true. Perhaps not the best comparison. But authoritarianism and ethno-nationalism has become disturbingly popular in Poland's right wing. This is just another one of those small steps towards fascism.

woah damn bro really

I mean tbh it doesn't matter if Poland's becoming "fascist" or not. It'll still be bankrolled by the EU regardless while Duda and Orban laugh at how much they leech off of everyone else, whose decaying international political structure is too impotent to do away with wannabe tin-pot despots.

[Democratic Exodian Territories]

aureumterra

[Atheris]

Well, true. Perhaps not the best comparison. But authoritarianism and ethno-nationalism has become disturbingly popular in Poland's right wing. This is just another one of those small steps towards fascism.

woah damn bro really

I mean tbh it doesn't matter if Poland's becoming "fascist" or not. It'll still be bankrolled by the EU regardless while Duda and Orban laugh at how much they leech off of everyone else, whose decaying international political structure is too impotent to do away with wannabe tin-pot despots.

No way. Rein with a good take? Impossible.

[Ezmwalia]

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences sweetie * taps nails together *

Yes, because facing incarceration for insulting a person is soooo similar to bring banned from social media for insulting or threatening an oppressed group of people...

[Der Zyniker]

Fifty Shades of Fritz Gerlich.

[South Reinkalistan]

Ladies and gentlemen: Godwin's Law is proven once more.

I mean at any rate this is a dumb comparison to make IMO; not that Poland isn't being shit, but because modern Germany doesn't really resemble Nazi Germany (thankfully) at all so there's not a very high bar there.

No one really cares about Godwin's law, tbh.

i care about godwin's law

your point is refuted

[Celritannia]

No one really cares about Godwin's law, tbh.

i care about godwin's law

your point is refuted

*Gasps*

[Democratic Exodian Territories]

i care about godwin's law

your point is refuted

*Gasps*

*dabs*