POLAND: Security & more – 14th May 2024

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 14th of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Last week, the country's security services found hidden listening devices in the room where Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his cabinet were going to have a meeting.

Following the incident, Tomasz Szmydt, a Polish judge, escaped to Belarus. This week, security officials reported that Szmydt had been working for Russian and Belarusian intelligence services. They also said that Szmydt’s reports were priceless gifts for Belarus and Russia, as he had access to some sensitive state information.

After escaping, Szmydt gave an interview in Belarus, saying he fled the country because he was concerned about Poland’s hostile policy towards Belarus and Russia. In recent months, Poland has increased the number of military officers on its borders, banned Russian politicians from entering Poland, and constantly provided military and humanitarian help to Ukraine.

The National Prosecutor's Office started an investigation, and the judge will face life imprisonment if Polish officials catch him, which is unlikely as he has already escaped to Belarus.

On a related note, Polish border guards detained a former Russian soldier when he was trying to cross the border. The former soldier participated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After these incidents, on Wednesday, the 8th, the government, along with President Duda’s security deputies, held an emergency meeting where the executives decided to start a comprehensive investigation of Russian influence in the country. Moreover, the executive will seek changes in the law to prevent vital state information from getting exposed. Finally, the country will increase its military presence on the borders with Russia and Belarus.

In light of the European Parliament elections on the 6th of June, on Thursday, the 9th of May, the Institute for Social Research and Markets (or IBRiS) published the results of its latest polls. According to the survey, thirty percent of the people will support the Law and Justice party; the Civic Platform will follow closely with twenty-eight percent. The Third Way alliance, comprising the Polish People’s Party and Poland twenty fifty, is in third place with twelve percent of the votes. The far-right Confederation Party came in fourth with ten percent, and the Left Party followed with nine percent.

Previously, Tusk urged Poles to increase the turnout in the European Parliament election because it was very important for him to empower Poland’s position in the EU parliament. However, only fifty-six percent of the respondents said they would vote in the election.

In unrelated news, since late twenty twenty-three and throughout twenty twenty-four, Polish farmers have been protesting against the EU’s Green Deal, which aims to put restrictions on farming practices that emit CO2. As a result, farmers will earn less money, and production will take more time.

On Thursday, the 9th, they occupied the parliament corridors and kicked off another wave of demonstrations in the capital, Warsaw. They marched holding banners urging Poland to leave the EU — because of the Green Deal. They said they would continue their protests until Tusk scheduled a meeting with them. Some members of the opposition Law and Justice Party also attended the march.

After a wave of protests in most of the member countries in twenty twenty-four, the EU eased the Green Deal. However, Polish farmers still want the EU to cancel it altogether.

Speaking of Warsaw, the city has been hosting people who want to earn more than they do in rural areas or small cities for centuries. According to the latest study by Statistics Poland released on Thursday, the 9th, residents of the cities of Gdańsk and Kraków started to earn more than Warsaw residents. The average earning in Warsaw in twenty twenty-three was 2,400 dollars and 2,500 in Gdańsk. Thus, Gdańsk residents now earn 100 dollars more on average. Not only are earnings higher, but prices are also lower in Gdańsk. For instance, consumer prices, including rent, are seventeen percent higher in Warsaw compared to Gdańsk, so people in Gdańsk have more purchasing power than the residents of the capital.

Moving on to other important state concerns. On Thursday, the 9th, Polish companies reported a shortage of seasonal workers. The service sector is looking for temporary workers for hotel receptionists, chefs, bartenders, and cleaning staff positions. Companies offer extra benefits such as study support, private medical plans, and complimentary drinks and snacks to attract people. However, the extra benefits didn’t attract many people, as Poles and Ukrainians prefer to go to other European countries, such as Germany, to earn more money in temporary jobs. A café owner stated that a person can survive with a monthly salary of 1,500 dollars net in Poland. However, in Germany or the Netherlands, the minimum wage is 1,600 dollars. Even though temporary workers have some expenses, it is more profitable for Poles to make money abroad and spend it at home rather than work in Poland.

On Sunday, the 12th, the Left Party, the ruling coalition partner, stated that they would chase real-estate entrepreneurs, or flippers because the party thinks they are responsible for increases in house prices. The Left said that flippers buy old houses in areas where low-income people live, renovate them, and then sell them back at a higher price to richer individuals, which makes the area unlivable for low-income families. This leaves fewer options for hard-up people who want to buy a house. The left-wing party considers proposing an additional tax to limit flippers—a higher tax rate for those who resell a property in a short space of time.

On a sad note, on Sunday, the 12th, a large-scale fire broke out in The Bazaar, a big shopping center at Marywilska Street in Warsaw, and burned down the place almost entirely, covering most of the city with smoke. Warsaw residents received a text message from the emergency services asking them to keep windows closed to minimize smoke-related health risks. The mall opened in the 20th century, and was the biggest shopping center in Europe at the time. The Polish Press Agency, or PAP, reported that it was hosting 10,000 customers daily. Poles on social media made up some conspiracy theories, saying that the blaze was foul play and that real estate investors caused the fire because they wanted to build a bigger shopping center there.

On the next day, on Monday, the 13th, in the city of Otwock, the police raided a “shamanic ceremony” in which several people were taking drugs under the leadership of a sixty-five-year-old US citizen who called himself a Shaman. Authorities said the group was using religious elements to attract new people to attend their organization. The group was preparing special brews containing harmine plants, getting people high. The police seized eighty pounds of drugs at the scene. The members will now face up to twelve years of prison.

And to close this edition, some cultural news. On Monday, the 13th, archaeologists shared more details about Antoni Jaczewicz, a Polish healer and a historical legend from the 17th century. Back then, a wave of the bubonic plague hit Poland and killed thousands of people. Poles at that time were searching for cures, and they found Antoni Jaczewicz, who said that the Virgin Mary endowed him with divine power to treat people. Legendary books say he built a fortress, hired guards, and started to treat people in exchange for gold. Two years ago, archaeologists started digging in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, where Jaczewicz’s fortress was supposed to be located. In the end, they found a lot of old gold backing from that time and a sixteen forty-eight gold ducat from Hamburg featuring the Madonna and Child, the coin Jaczewicz was using as a medallion to prove his devotional connection.

You can visit the Historical and Archaeological Museum in the city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski to see what other things were found in the digging.

And that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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