In Poland, a scandal is erupting over an offensive tweet by a minister from the ruling party
Polish ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party deputy Tadeusz Cymański publicly apologized for a tweet by a minister that insulted opposition leader Donald Tusk after Poland's victory over Germany in a football match.
According to Euractiv, Poland's victory over Germany in Friday's football match in Warsaw, only the second in history, generated a significant response in the Polish media but also led to a surge of historical resentment. On the other hand, some members of the ruling camp resorted to old rhetoric, portraying former Prime Minister Donald Tusk as an agent of Berlin.
Polish ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party deputy Tadeusz Cymański publicly apologized for a tweet by a minister that insulted opposition leader Donald Tusk after Poland's victory over Germany in a football match.
Poland's victory over Germany in Friday's football match in Warsaw, only the second in history, generated a significant response in the Polish media but also led to a surge of historical outrage. On the other hand, some members of the ruling camp resorted to their old rhetoric, portraying Tusk as an agent of Berlin.
"Poland - Tusk 1:0," commented Deputy Climate Minister Jacek Ozdoba on the match result on Twitter. The tweet received criticism from both politicians and sports officials. "Excuse me, what an idiot?" wrote former footballer and Polish Football Association Chairman Zbigniew Boniek on Twitter.
Responding to questions about Ozdoba's tweet on the Polsat News morning program, Tadeusz Cymański, a deputy from the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, said he would not use such words and was saddened by the comment. He also apologized to "everyone who felt offended" because of it.
The public apology angered Ozdoba, who criticized Cymański in return and accused him of having a "mouth full of clichés" and being "inactive on social issues."
Associating Tusk with Germany is a common theme in the political agitation of PiS and its junior coalition partner, Sovereign Poland. Combined with anti-German rhetoric, they seek to portray the former President of the European Council as a disciple of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and an enemy of Poland.
In recent years, the state-owned television broadcaster TVP, which many consider to be government-controlled, has repeatedly accused Tusk of various internal problems, often releasing videos in which Tusk is heard saying "für Deutschland," a two-second out-of-context fragment from one of his past speeches.
In another segment of its evening news broadcast, TVP compared Tusk to the Teutonic Order, a German Catholic crusader order that was defeated by Poland and Lithuania in the Battle of Grunwald in one of the largest medieval battles in Europe in 1410. The segment stated, "Tusk ordered an attack on Poland."
PiS and the center-right Civic Platform (PO) led by Tusk have been the two leading forces in Polish politics since the early 2000s. Coming to power in 2015, PiS is now the favorite for a third consecutive term in the upcoming autumn elections.
According to the latest poll, the ruling coalition enjoys the support of 33.5% of Poles, giving it a relatively stable advantage over the Civic Coalition (KO) led by PO (28.7%).
Civic Platform gained a few percentage points after a large march organized by Tusk on June 4, which gathered between 100,000 and 500,000 opposition supporters, making it one of the largest demonstrations in post-communist Poland's history.
Previously, The Gaze reported on Ukraine's fantastic comeback in the match against North Macedonia.