Censorship in Poland

Procella

Procella

MEMENTO MORI
Nov 10, 2005
380
1
18
Poland
Open letter to all who care...

*SIL said:
petition

Hi!
My name is Sylvia. I am 26-year-old woman living in Poland, Bialystok. I'm one of many protesting against sick and definitely not normal situation in our country. It's a reason of me writing to You on behalf of many more.

Since there has been a new president in Poland: Lech Kaczynski, who used to be a member of PiS (ruling conservative party now being in coalition with LPR-hard right nationalist and Samoobrona-hard left), many radical changes have been made in Poland. Those changes stroke among other things into BIS Polish Radio
BIS Polish Radio
which until 11th of July was known as radio promoting free speech. The hosts of shows did not avoid controversial subjects, such as the rights of homosexuals or religious and political issues. The music played could be described as "everything but mainstream", and this included vast range of music beginning from industrial electronic music and ending on dark and religiously controversial genres of metal music . Wide discussions on music played have been an inherent part of the shows; oftenguests from
various music bands were invited.
Most people hosting shows have been fired so far. Starting from 12th of August the music will be played using a randomized computer system. The interaction of the listeners with hosts (if any are left; as new names of those leaving or being fired appear on a daily basis) will be limited or gone.. Person responsible for those changes is new director of BIS: Jacek Sobala.
The very first thing that he did was taking off air "Masala" (from Hindi, meaning "mixture" and relating to variety of music taken from different regions). It was a regular show hosted by Mr. Max Cegielski, a well-known traveller. His guests were to be members of an officially acting Polish organization "Nigdy Więcej" ("Never Again", enforcing anti-racism campaigns and reporting cases of racial or xenophobia-based assaults in Poland Never Again ). That was precisely the topic of the show - "Fighting against fascism in Poland".
The headline, posted on official website of Radio BIS, stated:
"Since 1990, there have been reported forty victims of xenophobia-based aggression. We are concerned whether these shocking data will be included in he patriotic education classes enforced by Roman Giertych [head of LPR and Polish Ministry of Education, as well as a founder and an honour council of MW. Moreover, the fascists, inciting to violence, are often closely connected with LPR and MW]. Therefore, the killers have some support in Polish Government, as well as the senators, the clerks and
the ministers originating from those organizations are accomplice in deaths of innocent people."
Mr. Cegielski was asked to change the topic; his refusal to do so provoked the new director to fire him. Mr. Sobala announced: "In the public Radio there is no place for advocating such theses. I proposed Mr. Cegielski to find a radio station where he can promote such views." [Mr. Sobala's statement given to the Polish newspapers]

Why am I writing all this to You?
All authorities in Poland are unity now. They will speak one voice and they will not support us, the listeners and publicists of Radio BIS. Neither the President, nor the Ministry of Culture or the National Radio Broadcasting and Television Council will do this. International organizations, which - as you have bravely shown so far - are not reluctant for ANY abuse of media freedom, are our last chance.
We have set up a webpage where artists, organizations and individuals can put their links on a support list. The webpage in its old appearance can be found at BIS Forever

We ask for Your support and understanding throughout signing these petitions.
PETITION
MASALA PETITION

This would mean a lot to us!

Once again, please suuport us. Your voice is important in our case, just as it has been so far in many similar ones.

Protesters
Click to expand...
 
Wow, what a terrible thing, my family is from Poland (my grandmother is from Bialystok too) and they came to Argentina before the WWII cause of racism too (I'm jewish), something must be done, I signed the petitions :), good luck
 
Powitaninia Procella!
Dobrze swój zła rzecz jestem zawsze znowu cenzura i zawsze będzie naprzód przedni walka walczyć w stosunku do tego tak więc wy będziecie czuć moją pomoc jak ponieważ zawsze zatrzymuję pozostał w Polsce dla 4 lat dla metaliczna banda towarzystwo wyznaczył wyznaczony; nazwał; nazwany " "Artrosis"tak więc poznaję jak walczą z tym jak ponieważ "musician" mam nadzieję wy być rozumieć.Cenzura jest gorszą rzeczą kiedyś walczę z tym przed zanim i będzie walczyć z tym znowu
Wy możecie ufać udzielać kredytu mnie :)

Żaden do cenzury!
 
dark_Exile said:
Powitaninia Procella!
Dobrze swój zła rzecz jestem zawsze znowu cenzura i zawsze będzie naprzód przedni walka walczyć w stosunku do tego tak więc wy będziecie czuć moją pomoc jak ponieważ zawsze zatrzymuję pozostał w Polsce dla 4 lat dla metaliczna banda towarzystwo wyznaczył wyznaczony; nazwał; nazwany " "Artrosis"tak więc poznaję jak walczą z tym jak ponieważ "musician" mam nadzieję wy być rozumieć.Cenzura jest gorszą rzeczą kiedyś walczę z tym przed zanim i będzie walczyć z tym znowu
Wy możecie ufać udzielać kredytu mnie :)

Żaden do cenzury!
Click to expand...
you ruler of the languages, you
 
I signed too...
Sometimes I wonder why i am moving to Poland... Although Spain is not a model for tolerance and progress either...
 
I live in Poland too, and I'm absolutelly supporting Sylvia's letter.
I just wrote about Metal Festival, on Hypocrisy's forum. It was suppose to be 13.08, was going to visit it, because it would be first time in Poland...But ofcourse what happened?Our "tollerant" president of Warsav (Marcinkiewicz), decided, that such "satanic" bands can't come to Poland.Yes, it was all about relligion...it is all just sick, because as you see we have got really good metal bands in Poland, our native bands....maybe they should be "throwned away" from this country mr Marcinkiewicz and Kaczyński?It's all about our tollerance in Poland. Every step I take in my city, I have to read these all disgusting words about Jewish, etc.
I'm really tollerante person, for every people, relligions (but I'm atheist), and I'd like to leave in a tolleratne country.It hurts me when I have to watch these all thing our government do, because it doesn't stop the wave of racism....it supports it!
 
oh yes, we were talking about
Black Metal Festival also on
non-opeth forum, (there's my
thread btw);
it's just getting worse, the
censorship is ridiculous;
all this xenophobic mania to
keep away young ppl from every
evil motives ?!
when will they uderstand that
we're free to live the way we want ?!
 
Ethera said:
I live in Poland too, and I'm absolutelly supporting Sylvia's letter.
I just wrote about Metal Festival, on Hypocrisy's forum. It was suppose to be 13.08, was going to visit it, because it would be first time in Poland...But ofcourse what happened?Our "tollerant" president of Warsav (Marcinkiewicz), decided, that such "satanic" bands can't come to Poland.Yes, it was all about relligion...it is all just sick, because as you see we have got really good metal bands in Poland, our native bands....maybe they should be "throwned away" from this country mr Marcinkiewicz and Kaczyński?It's all about our tollerance in Poland. Every step I take in my city, I have to read these all disgusting words about Jewish, etc.
I'm really tollerante person, for every people, relligions (but I'm atheist), and I'd like to leave in a tolleratne country.It hurts me when I have to watch these all thing our government do, because it doesn't stop the wave of racism....it supports it!
Click to expand...
hm, I thought I posted this before, but appearently something went wrong... anyway, what I want to ask is:
How did it come to this?
A new president got elected and now he is infecting the country?
or it's the same president and now he has decided he won't tollerate 'our music' anymore?

I want to know more about this whole situation...
 
Vincent J. said:
hm, I thought I posted this before, but appearently something went wrong... anyway, what I want to ask is:
How did it come to this?
A new president got elected and now he is infecting the country?
or it's the same president and now he has decided he won't tollerate 'our music' anymore?

I want to know more about this whole situation...
Click to expand...

Hello and Thanks for being interested!
Below some important informations.

Since there has been a new president in Poland Lech Kaczynski (former head of PiS [eng.:"Law and Justice"] - ruling conservative party now being in coalition with LPR-hard right nationalist and Samoobrona-hard left), many radical changes have been made in Poland.
The new head of Polish Radio BIS, Mr. Krzysztof Czabanski, right-wing-oriented publicist handed the direct supervision of BIS to Mr. Jacek Sobala, also a publicist, who has so far worked in three different radio stations
(including national Polish Radio Channel Three) as well as hosted a show on
private television, TV Puls. Not surprisingly, his political origin is
similar - he was recommended for this position by one of the parties of
reigning coalition, LPR (The Polish Families League) - strong
right-wing-oriented party, whose members have been reported giving
statements of xenophobic, anti-European, racist and anti-Jewish sound, and
have never apologized for that. Some, including the vice - head of Polish TV
Piotr Farfał, are former or active members of MW (Młodzież Wszechpolska,
which may be translated as Omnipolish Youth). MW is a youth section of LPR;
the name is a tribute to a similar organization that existed in the 1930's
and is known for its strong anti-Jewish propaganda. The present MW does not
deny a certain resemblance of its structure and methods of upbringing its
members to the infamous Hitlerjugend. Its members have been numerously
reported to participate in xenophobic and fascist actions including
demonstrations during which violence was used, attacks on the members of
left-wing organizations (a few murders are still being investigated), publishing
xenophobic, racist, fascist and Nazi propaganda in underground magazines.
The official website of MW there is a description of organization doctrine that contains numerous quotes from propaganda speeches of Adolph Hitler, used in exactly the same context as in their "ancestor's" originals.
LPR suggests tightening the law and reintroducing death penalty for severe crimes (sexually-motivated
murders with great bestiality of children under 15 years of age). This project is ideologically supported by the President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński. LPR does not mind neither the non-compliance with Catholic Church's teaching (whose followers they claim themselves to be) nor the fact that death penalty is no longer applied within the whole of EU (Poland ratified the 6th protocol of European Human Rights Convention abolishing death penalty in the times of peace). Both LPR and Lech Kaczyński
were highly criticized by the Council of Europe and European Commission for supporting the idea of restoration of death penalty.

The specific event took place on Friday, 14th July 2006 and concerned a radio show scheduled on Sunday, 17th July. It was a regular show named "Masala" (from Hindi, meaning "mixture" and relating to variety of music taken from different regions) hosted by Mr. Max Cegielski, a well-known traveller. His guests were to be members of an officially acting Polish organization "Nigdy Więcej" ("Never Again", enforcing anti-racism campaigns and reporting cases of racial or xenophobia-based assaults in
Poland http://www.nigdywiecej.org That was precisely the topic of the show - "Fighting against fascism in Poland". The headline, posted on official website of Radio BIS, stated (precise translation):

"Since 1990, there have been reported forty victims of xenophobia-based aggression. We are concerned whether these shocking data will be included in the patriotic education classes enforced by Roman Giertych (head of LPR and Polish Ministry of Education, as well as a founder and an honour council of MW).
Moreover, the fascists, inciting to violence, are often closely connected with LPR and MW. Therefore, the killers have some support in Polish Government, as well as the senators, the clerks and the ministers originating from those organizations are accomplice in deaths of innocent people."

Late Friday, as Mr. Cegielski reports, a secretary of the new supervisor called him and asked whether he can change the topic of the Sunday show. When Mr. Cegielski refused, she announced that he was not to appear in the studio on Sunday, and that her boss wanted to see him on Monday. Jacek Sobala, talking to the newspapers, repeated what he had told to Mr. Cegielski. Again this is a precise translation, and I would like to highlight the fact that this is a statement given to the Polish
newspapers:

"In the public Radio there is no place for advocating such theses. I proposed Mr. Cegielski to find a radio station where he can promote suchviews."

The changes in the Polish Radio BIS are much deeper than this. All music that could be by the slightest means suspected of religious and social demoralizing, including the aforementioned metal (with literally all its sub-genres!) and punk rock music was immediately taken off air, despite huge amount of protests and (!) not a single voice of support for the changes from the listeners. Most people hosting shows have been fired; the music will be played using a randomized computer system. The
interaction of the listeners with hosts (if any are left; as new names of those leaving or being fired appear on a daily basis) will be limited or gone.

Recently, Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy Polskich (Polish
Journalists' Association) has made a statement, in which they protested
against violation of laws by the politicians who are not given any right
to interfere in the actions of public media
http://www.sdp.pl/artviewer.php?article=132,
SDP can be contacted at sdp@sdp.pl


some links:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globali...ronic_2963.jsp

http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2002-3/poland.htm

http://www.ainfos.ca/04/mar/ainfos00237.html
 
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