Polityka publisher issued a statement distancing itself from Jan Hartman’s offensive social media post that wished Polish parliamentarians prison in Israel; the post was removed following backlash.
Polityka Editorial Response
After Professor Jan Hartman’s controversial social‑media post, Polityka issued a statement unequivocally disavowing his remarks. The communiqué read that the post, which wished a Polish parliamentarian participating in a humanitarian flotilla to be imprisoned in an Israeli jail, shocked and disgusted the team.
The editors firmly condemned such comments, even when made by the newspaper’s collaborators, stating that the tone is alien to their values and unacceptable regardless of the political context. They emphasized a rejection of personal attacks and a wish for political or humanitarian actors to be imprisoned.
Prof. Hartman’s Harsh Comment
Following the flotilla’s seizure, Professor Jan Hartman’s post—where he labelled the mission a “propaganda action of the Nazi terrorist organization Hamas”—garnered intense scrutiny. He further cursed the participants, including Polish citizens, to be sent to Israeli prisons: “I wish the Polish Nazis of Hamas’ forts to sit in one of the warm prisons in the Negev.”
The remark provoked outrage and was swiftly removed. Polityka has not announced any action against Hartman, who continues to publish pro‑Israeli content on social media.
Flotilla Seized by Israeli Navy
Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning (1–2 October), the Israeli navy intercepted the Sumud flotilla heading toward the Gaza Strip. The vessel fleet comprised dozens of boats and more than 400 volunteers from 47 countries and was stopped in international waters, about 80 nautical miles off the coast.
Polish delegation members on board included MP Franciszek Sterczewski (KO), Omar Faris, president of the Polish–Palestinian Social–Cultural Association, Nina Ptak, president of the Nomada Association, and Polish‑British journalist and activist Ewa Jasiewicz, author of “Burn Gaza.”
