Donald Tusk’s party is not taking the defeat in the presidential election well. True, he instantly moved to assert his dominance by calling of the vote of confidence in the parliament, which he won, but it was not enough to ensure his followers he’s capable to bring victory in the oncoming parliamentary election.
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As I was writing in the previous chapters of my series, the hunt for scapegoats begun instantly. As usual it was voters who were to blame (those pesky uneducated people from Eastern Poland still can’t vote as they should!) along with young social-democratic party Razem, that sometimes dares to criticize Donald Tusk, which mean they are basically traitors who work alongside PiS. But this does not work well enough any more, so they needed to look deeper to find reason of this defeat. But don’t worry, not as deep as to look in the mirror and wonder “what are we doing wrong”. No, that would be too much. Instead of that, they found a perfect solution. “The elections were rigged”.
This theory was mostly promoted by Roman Giertych, former ally of Kaczyński who is associated with Donald Tusk party now. The elaborate conspiracy theories about PiS setting up fake candidates who never made it to election, but whose committees were able to put forward members of electoral commissions and task them with falsifying the result were getting more ridiculous day after day. When the numbers of alleged conspirers reached 40 000 people any reasonable person could only break in laughter when those theories were mentioned (and this was exactly the reaction of Razem’s Adrian Zandberg when a journalist asked him about that, which resulted in a new wave of online trolls accusing him of being a traitor to Poland).
Donald Tusk himself initially was trying to stay away from this and even asked not to put the result of elections in doubt, as this undermines the whole democratic process in Poland. But just 2 weeks later he changed the tune and said that “for the voters elections won’t be valid until we clear all the doubts”. Gazeta Wyborcza published an analysis in which pointed out to a number of voting stations where (deliberately or as a result of error) the numbers of votes were radically altered in favour of Karol Nawrocki. But other academics quickly pointed out that such irregularities are nothing out of order, mistakes happen in every elections and accused the author of cherry picking only the polling stations where results were altered in favour of Nawrocki while ignoring those, where errors resulted in Trzaskowski getting extra votes. Others pointed out that the official results of the elections are pretty much in line with most predictions and polls so the fact that Trzaskowski lost should be hardly a surprise to anyone.
Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar declared he will do his utmost to get to the bottom of it, but unfortunately due to PiS’ meddling with justice system, the validity of the elections are now confirmed by the chamber of the high court staffed with illegally appointed judges. The court ruled elections to be valid and when Bodnar protested and demanded another chamber would be appointed to make that ruling, one of those illegally appointed judges asked him “in 2023 you were elected to the Senate. Let me remind you it was our chamber ruled that those elections were valid. Therefore I have to ask: do you feel you weren’t elected properly?” (as you can see from the linked clip, pro-PiS media were very gleeful about that, especially that Adam Bodnar really had no good answer to this question). This exposed yet another weakness of Tusk’s government: while it is not a surprise, as de-PiSisation of the justice system is difficult as it is, the new government is inconsistent here and is ready to look through their fingers if something is working well for them is, unfortunately, a fact.
But meanwhile when it comes to everyday politics, the government just offers more of the same. No radical change of direction, and just inventing new ways to annoy voters – just as the recent decision to grant permission for hunting of three bears in Bieszczady mountains, which outraged the public opinion. The government also tighten the screws on their anti-migration narration, which leads to the cracks in the coalition. The Left is feeling this is going too far, but apparently this is not in line with the other coalition partner, the PSL. Kosiniak-Kamysz, leader of PSL and minister of defence asked during press conference if that can be a point of conflict as the Left is “more open to migration” replied “what they are more open to? Bandits?” Apparently we have now a government with ministers for whom words like “refugee” or “migrant” are synonymous with a word “bandit”.
The thesis put forward by that journalist seems to be valid. Apparently the coalition is already cracking. Recently speaker of Sejm, Szymon Hołownia and Michał Kamiński (formerly of PiS, later of PO, now of PSL) visited a private flat of one of PiS MP’s, where they secretly met Kaczyński in the middle of the night, sparkling yet another wave of hysteria about “traitors”. Hołownia denies, that the meeting was set to test water for a new government supported by PiS in which he – as per widespread accusations – would want to be a prime minister, but then it is not clear what was the purpose of that meeting.
Other supporters of Tusk also seem to be losing hope on him – in a recent interview Agnieszka Holland openly said “he is finished as a leader” and suggested he should step down and give way to someone able to respond to the expectations of the voters. Experts – like politologist dr. hab. Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene – also say that the only way to save Tusk’s party from a total disaster is to introduce some liberal reforms. As Marcin Wojciechowski wrote in Liberte, “Tusk stubbornly carried actions against the will of his own electorate”, he “stupidly get rid of his voters despite being warned about it” and his party “blindly follows his politics, believing he’s a genius and his way must work. But it doesn’t – because it can’t. In parliamentary democracy in order to get voters, you need to fight for them, and not constantly, stubbornly, ostentatiously, despite warnings and common sense act against their will firmly believing – for no good reason – that they will vote for you anyway”. I personally don’t believe Tusk is capable of change. Why? Because that Liberte article I am quoting here was published 10 years ago, after Tusk lost parliamentary elections to PiS.
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The other topic I would like to mention today is the anti-migrant hysteria. As I was pointing out in the recent chapters of this series, by jumping on the anti-migration bandwagon Trzaskowski and Tusk only strengthened right wing narration. PiS decided to keep up the momentum and the anti-migrant craze reaches the absurd level already. In Zamość, where for the 22th time the annual festiwal of world folk music had taken place, the artists – mostly from African countries – were met with abuse on the streets of the city while local police received several panic calls about “migrants walking the streets of the city”. As PiS politicians alongside pro-Russian activists pump the hysteria about “Germany sending the migrants into Poland”, some right wing radicals organized citizen militias that are monitoring the border, illegally stopping the cars and trying to prevent anyone with darker shade of a skin from entering Poland. Government ignored the issue for a long time, then suddenly reacted twofold: assured the problem is non-existent and German push-backs of migrants are very rare (and their number is even dropping) and at the same time re-introduced checks at the border with Germany (and, for some reason, with Lithuania), sending hundreds of police officers and soldiers there. The whole Tusk’s modus operandi seems to be following one pattern: ignore the issue, if the issue wont’ go away on it’s own, let’s do something, but not bother with planning. Just follow the advice of Lemur King Julien from children cartoon used to say – “Hurry up, before we all come up to our senses”.
It looks like the Donald Tusk’ party is heading for disaster, and the narration in Polish politics is imposed by someone else. By whom? I think this fable circulating the Polish internet recently describes the mechanism of such hysteria best:
1. On the Facebook group “Polish Patriots Against Enemies of The Nation” (formerly “Stop Ukrainisation of Poland”, formerly “Stop Jewish domination in Poland”, formerly “Stop Vaccines!”) a post from Russian telegram is shared. According to it, in Karkonosze mushrooms shaped like penises have been discovered.
2. Other members confirm this is true.
3. A local pro-Russian activists points out such mushrooms are a danger to a virtue of Polish Women.
4. Someone creates a new group “Down with Mushrooms – Wałbrzych Team”. “We need to organize, let me know what cities you are from” – he writes.
5. People post pictures. Mushrooms are indeed penis-shaped. Most of the pictures seem to be nicked from the internet.
6. Karina from “Wałbrzych team” licked one of those mushrooms and got diarrhoea. She posted about it. 20 000 shares. Most popular comment “FUCK! THEY ARE KILLING POLES!!!!”
7. Topic is trending on TikTok. Clips with very bad Polish grammar and plenty of orthographic mistakes claim, that those mushroom spores came from Czech Republic
8. People panic “Czechs are poisoning us with penis-mushrooms!”
9. PiS MP and Kaczyński’s man for dirty propaganda posts a clip on TikTok. Nothing can be seen, he seems to be shining a torch on some shrubs. Caption claims it’s where penis-mushrooms have been seen 2 days ago.
10. Reliable media write about this new conspiracy theory. Nobody cares.
11. A mycology professor explains on the radio those are ordinary Phallus impudicus, that they grown naturally in Poland and are completely normal at this time of the year.
12. Matecki uses his MP’s prerogatives to demand investigation from local Sanitary-Epidemiological station. He gets the reply they know nothing about anyone deliberately spreading any spores, that those are normal mushrooms. There is a warning not to eat them, as they are poisonous.
13. Pro-PiS media: “PENIS-MUSHROOMS CAN KILL POLISH PEOPLE!!!”
14. Right wing activists organize anti-Mushroom militia. They use Facebook Groups to organize. “Down with Mushrooms – Wałbrzych Team” has 30 000 members already, there are 27 others. You can buy anti-mushroom t-shirts there at 89zł a piece.
15. An Instagram roll goes viral. On it, a woman is crying in her car because her daughter saw a penis-shaped mushrooms. She asks for donations.
16. Militias begin patrolling forests near the Czech border.
17. Unknown perpetrators vandalize Czech Cultural House in Cieszyn.
18. A popular MMA fighter records a clip on his Instagram. He calls for action “People, awake! How many more you can take!” – he cries.
19. AI generated picture of a Polish eagle protecting blond girl from army of mushroom-soldiers carrying Czech flags gets 200 000 impressions on Instagram.
20. The anti-mushroom militias can’t find any penis-shaped mushrooms, so they vandalize a mushroom stand outside a Tesco in Jelenia Góra instead.
21. Matecki posts another TikTok video. He films Czech forest workers across the border and says “they are probably trying to seed spores on our side of the border!”. 2 000 000 views.
22. Other users confirm they saw Czechs doing suspicious things too.
23. Jakuszyce -Harrahov border crossing is blocked by a small crowd holding banner “This is Poland, not Europe, we say no to Penis-Mushrooms!”. You can buy anti-mushroom t-shirts in a tent on the roadside. 129 zł a piece.
24. Prominent right wing politicians, including Kaczyński, visit the protesters.
25. A bunch of skinheads records a video in which they stomp on a basket of chanterelles while shouting “GLORY TO POLAND!”
26. Influencers pick up the topic to mock it in their videos. Only then mainstream media notice.
27. Mainstream media write articles about that the mushrooms are normal. Nobody reads them.
28. One of the anti-mushroom patrols bumps onto a group of Czech mushroom-hunters. They get in the brawl. A 67 year old Jožin Prohazka from Božanov ends up in hospital with heavy concussion.
29. Mateusz Morawiecki in full military gear joins one of the patrols. They find no penis-shaped mushrooms, but he gets 20 TikTok videos out of it.
30. Other politicians take selfies in the park outside the parliament building in Warsaw, claiming to have visited the border too.
31. Matecki posts a grainy video of two people seen in a distance that look as they wear an uniform. He claims those are Czech soldiers on the Polish side of the border. Internet users zoom in and discover those are actually two officers of the Polish traffic police. Nobody cares.
32. Right wing politicians say on TV Czechs are conducting a hybrid war with Poland, using biological weapons. They propose a solution: deporting all Ukrainians.
33. A PiS-leaning TV station organize a debate: they invite a mycology professor, 4 right wing MP and the stupidest left wing MP they could find.
34. Everybody talks about mushrooms. Everybody, but the government. The government ignores the problem.
35. The employees of Sanitary-Epidemiological station are flooded with hysteric phone calls about penis-mushrooms. In desperation they record a video in which they rap about how those mushrooms are nothing to be afraid of. They hope the video goes viral. It does – because it’s so cringe.
36. Media ask Matecki how many mushrooms were found by those anti-Mushrooms militia. He admits not a single one, but claims it’s because the patrols are so effective that Czechs are too scared to do anything now.
37. That TV station that organized that skewed debate is criticized. It’s editor says “people have right to know” and points out he invited an expert.
38. President Andrzej Duda calls for the government to work together with opposition. He says problem is too important to get tangled into party politics.
39. Donald Tusk finally notices the problem. In a strong-worded tweet he says problem is overblown, there is no need to do anything, and there is much less of those mushrooms then they were under PiS government. Then he instantly sends 2000 soldiers in tanks to patrol the borders.
40. Right-wing militias throw stones at the soldiers, calling them Czech Whores, accusing them on treason and claiming they were send there to cover up.
41. Arrests are made. To cover up the situation, Tusk pulls Poland out of trans-border cooperation on agriculture, and Natura 2000 programs.
42. Polish walls are covered with anti-Czech graffiti.
43. Police says they investigated and found no proof of any mushroom-related conspiracy.
44. Tusk’s political party drops 10% in the polls. PiS and radical right gain 15%.
45. Tusk supporters blame Adrian Zandberg of Razem for this, because “he was doing nothing to support the government in those difficult times”
46. Heatwaves come. Right wingers got fed up with patrolling forest. Only a few most desperate pensioners remains at the border crossing.
47. Meanwhile at the Facebook group “True Polish Patriots Only” a screenshot from Russian telegram is published. In which someone asked, if anyone else saw those mysterious flashes and booms that sounded like cannons during recent heavy rain near Suwałki, and if it could be that Lithuanians are testing their new electromagnetic cannons on Poles.
I don’t know the author of this text, I saw it in a few places in slightly different variations, but I think it’s brilliant. It perfectly shows how fake news in line with Russian propaganda can destabilize the country, or at least its political scene. Watch out for those mechanisms in your country too!
This piece was written for Britské Listy
Picture: Public Domain via Pixabay
