On 7 October in Warsaw’s Sejm, a heated exchange between PiS MP Bartosz Kownacki and KO MP Jacek Karnowski spiraled into a breathalyzer test.
Circumstances of the Exchange
The altercation began when PiS MP Bartosz Kownacki asked government spokesperson Adam Szlapa where Donald Tusk was. KO MP Jacek Karnowski then suggested that Kownacki go to a restaurant and get a drink with Dariusz Matecki. The remark invoked recent reports from the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, which noted that PiS MPs, including Matecki, were loudly celebrating Karol Nawrocki’s swearing‑in at the parliamentary hotel. The tension escalated, prompting intervention by the marshal’s guard.
Szlapa Accuses Kownacki of Drunkenness
In response, Kownacki retorted that “MP Matecki can drink because he is ill.” Szlapa pressed him further, questioning the nature of the illness and linking it to cancer. Kownacki replied that Tusk was also supposedly ill. Szlapa then declared that Kownacki was intoxicated, stating “I feel alcohol from the MP.” Kownacki was subjected to a breathalyzer test, which found no alcohol. He then criticized Szlapa for accusing him of being under the influence and demanded an apology.
Political Reactions
The video of the confrontation elicited sharp responses from other legislators. Dariusz Matecki called Szlapa a “primitive character,” while KO’s Witold Zembaczyński described the incident as “a sting in the style of a PiS trench.”
