2025-01-09 21:18 update: 2025-01-09, 21:21
Prezes Zarządu Fundacji WOŚP Jerzy Owsiak. Fot. PAP/Tomasz Gzell
Warsaw's district prosecutors have charged a man for threatening the life of Jerzy Owsiak, the leader of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation (WOSP), and for engaging in hate speech against him.
A 71-year-old man has been charged with issuing criminal threats and making derogatory remarks towards Jerzy Owsiak, the spokesperson for the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office, Piotr Antoni Skiba, said on Thursday. The charges were submitted on Tuesday, the same day Owsiak revealed in a Facebook post that he and his foundation had received threats via a phone call made earlier in January.
"In his voluntary statement, the accused explained that his behaviour was motivated by a report he had seen on TV Republika, which portrayed Jerzy Owsiak in a negative light," Skiba said.
According to the prosecutor, the 71-year-old admitted to the allegations and said that a report from TV Republika drove him to call the organisation, additionally expressing regret over his actions.
Poland's private right-wing broadcasters TV Republika and wPolsce 24 were accused by Owsiak in his Facebook post of spreading hate speech against him and his foundation. Owsiak also wrote that these channels had recently entered the foundation's headquarters, reporting on-air and recording those inside without their consent.
This media scrutiny followed WOSP's alleged withholding of dozens of millions of zlotys raised for aiding flood victims in Poland.
The phone call, which left Owsiak fearing for his life, reportedly began with the caller asking if he had reached WOSP. After receiving confirmation, the caller allegedly stated that Owsiak "needs to be shot" and called him an "a**hole." In his post, Owsiak described the threats as "highly specific, involving a bomb in the background and the planned elimination of my person."
The suspect, who has no prior criminal record but a history of neurological treatment, is currently undergoing further evaluation to determine his mental competency at the time the threats were made. He can face a sentence of up to three years in prison.
"We will consider initiating mediation proceedings between the victim and the suspect," Skiba said, speaking on the prosecutors' next steps.
For years, WOSP and its leader have clashed with right-wing Polish media and politicians. Under the rule of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, Poland’s state-owned broadcaster TVP has largely ignored the charity’s annual finales, held in late January. Last year, the WOSP finale raised over PLN 281 million (EUR 65.8 mln) for healthcare needs in Poland. (PAP)
yb/jch
