Independent Polish MP Marcin Józefaciuk discusses political discrimination, family rights issues, and his strained relationships with certain politicians.
Political Discrimination Against Men
Independent MP and teacher Marcin Józefaciuk notes: “Men’s issues in politics are now perceived as the domain of the right. Probably because the left has largely focused on the female agenda in recent years. I simply prefer to connect and support good ideas, regardless of which side they come from.”
Parental Alienation Debate
Regarding parental alienation, Józefaciuk states: “The term shouldn’t be used in the sense of a syndrome or mental illness, which is why WHO removed this concept from the International Classification of Diseases. And yes, it’s not a disease unit, but the problem itself exists.”
He addresses the controversy around the term: “Posłanka Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic said that if she hears this term again, she’ll bite her arteries. Fortunately, nothing like that happened. The phenomenon exists, and yelling about ‘biting arteries’ or talking about ideology won’t change anything.”
Government Policies and Support
Józefaciuk commented on a bill proposal: “In September, during a protest at the ministry, Minister Żurek announced that within a month he would show draft changes – he didn’t show them. Instead, a proposal from the Confederation appeared. In terms of content, their proposal is not controversial, so I wanted to sign under it.”
He adds: “I believe that the Minister of Justice wants to seriously deal with this problem, so I also support his actions with all my heart. The good of children should not have political color, and this project can trigger a series of positive changes in protecting the youngest.”
His Political Suspension
Regarding his suspension from his parliamentary club, Józefaciuk explains: “Earlier they suspended me in the club. The club gave three reasons. First, they suspended me for criticizing the government’s actions. And the suspension of asylum law. I believe this is contrary to international law.”
He continues: “The club also accused me of voting against party discipline and submitting amendments not agreed with the club. I protested against the proposal by the Ministry of Education to employ people without pedagogical education in kindergartens. I couldn’t agree to this and submitted an amendment in this matter.”
Education Reform Criticism
On education reform: “The ‘project week’ is a huge mistake. In principle, it is about strengthening the practical skills of students, but in reality not every child in a moderate intellectual norm is prepared for such activities. The teacher should decide on this, while the minister wants to impose it from above.”
He criticizes the implementation: “Teachers are not prepared for this reform at all, they don’t know exactly how work with students will change. No one informs them about it, no one talks to them. So it’s good that the president vetoed this law, it came out worse with the justification of the veto, which was at a very low level.”
Personal Reflections
When asked if he considers men discriminated against in Poland, Józefaciuk confirms: “Of course they are. Yesterday I sent an inquiry to the authorities of Warsaw and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, as well as a notification to the Ombudsman for Citizen Rights regarding recruitment in the capital’s Employment Office. The rules clearly favor women.”
He reflects on his experience: “I wouldn’t use words like she did. I noted a few fragments: ‘I haven’t seen a more stupid veto’, ‘gobbledygook’, ‘pathetic argumentation’. I haven’t seen perhaps such a hateful performance by any minister. Someone who heads a department should be more restrained.”
Regarding his relationships with other politicians: “I wouldn’t call it that. I tried to convince politicians of anything, which is usually futile. But when such a topic appears, we don’t run away from it. I present my point of view and see that this right-wing politician is not so deaf to arguments.”
Future in Politics
Józefaciuk concludes: “I still support this government and the Civic Coalition program, of course except for education. I also think that more can be done in social policy, but my overall assessment is positive. The conditions are difficult, we have disputes in the coalition, but the prime minister tries to do everything he can in this situation.”
He adds: “I try to turn this into something positive and I conduct workshops across Poland with children about hate speech. I think that over time people notice that I’m not a tattooed clown and have something substantive to say.”