The Polish government has faced accusations of lying to the public over the political leanings of the alleged Kraków mass shooter, whom Warsaw initially described as being “fascinated with far-right ideologies” before admitting that the claim was merely an “initial hypothesis”.
In the aftermath of the mass shooting, which saw six people killed and 16 others wounded as a masked assailant opened fire in Kraków’s Market Square on Saturday, Internal Affairs Minister Marcin Kierwiński of the liberal Donald Tusk-led government claimed that initial investigations indicated that the alleged shooter had “very, very radical views” and was “fascinated by far-right ideologies.”
The assertion that the shooter was aligned with the far-right was immediately picked up by the international press and dominated initial discussions surrounding the attack. However, the narrative has since been questioned, with some even suggesting the government spread disinformation.
On Sunday, the Polish daily Super Express reported that the 24-year-old suspect — who has now died of gunshot wounds received during the initial police response — had “no ties to any right-wing parties or extreme right-wing organisations”. The paper added that security services have also found no trace of him being tied to the extreme right online, citing several sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Polish publisher Onet reports today that police found a Gadsden ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flag in the man’s room, which may have erronously informed the initial statement. The prosecutor, however, clarified that there were no symbols associated with far-left or far-right associations found on his walls.
The national prosecutor’s office said: “This flag isn’t universally associated with any extremism. It’s used for various purposes, including the snake on one of Metallica’s albums”.
Despite the initial statement from the government linking the suspect to the far-right, public broadcaster TVP Info also reported on Sunday that the gunman did not leave any document outlining his motivation in his car or at his home in nearby Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, where three bodies — believed to have been his family members — were found following the attack in Kraków.
Meanwhile, Warsaw paper of record Rzeczpospolita reported that evidence was found indicating that the suspect may in fact be an “ultra-leftist”, with a source from the Kraków police saying that they had found images of him “posing with flags”.
Those who knew the alleged attacker have also denied that he was on the far-right, with a former middle school mate telling Polish media: “We were good friends, and as a class, we were close. We had our share of banter, but we also worked well together. He didn’t have any right-wing leanings.”
“He was very emotional about all kinds of failures and setbacks. I remember him being easily offended, which often led to fits of tears. It’s not that he was a loner. He simply didn’t want to be part of a larger group,” the former friend added.
For his part, Internal Affairs Minister Kierwiński defended his decision to publicly tie the alleged shooter to the far-right, telling broadcaster TVN24 that “in cases like this, the first hypotheses always emerge.”
“The first pieces of information and the first clues always emerge, and that’s why I made this statement. These are the things that the police are currently investigating and the evidence is at their disposal. I won’t elaborate on that now,” he said.
“The police are investigating these leads. I say this with full responsibility. We are not passing any judgments. Every potential motive, every potential circumstance must be verified,” Kierwiński continued. “Every circumstantial evidence will be verified in this regard. Every hypothesis the investigators put forward must be verified.”
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek also refused to reveal any political motive on Sunday, telling TVP Info that it is “still too early to say what the perpetrator’s motives were.”
“Of course, everything is being investigated. I don’t want to reveal the materials from the proceedings, but we do have some evidence that sheds more light on this entire drama,” he said.
“If the perpetrator survives, he faces life imprisonment. And here we have to wait for the services and the police to investigate all his phone and internet contacts, to check who he was in contact with, whether any other organisations or individuals were behind it. During this attack, and I can say this with certainty, it was a lone wolf raid.”
Nevertheless, the government’s initial comments linking the attack to the far-right have sparked criticism, including from opposition party leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who accused the government of spreading a “blatant lie” about the alleged perpetrator.
“The dramatic events in Krakow have moved us all. Only a man undoubtedly disturbed could have committed such a terrible crime. His political views are irrelevant. And yet, Minister Kierwiński, as one of the first pieces of information, even before the services entered the perpetrator’s apartment, stated that the attacker was fascinated by right-wing ideologies. This turned out to be a blatant lie,” the conservative Law and Justice party leader asserted.
