On Oct. 25, Mayor Jarosław Szlachetka of Myślenice was filmed dart‑throwing at a German flag during a PiS party gathering; he has since issued a statement.
Social media video sparks outrage
On Saturday, October 25, councilwoman Ewa Wincenciak‑Walas posted a video that showed Mayor Jarosław Szlachetka tossing a dart at a target bearing a German flag. After the hit, he said, “O, you saw?” The clip was later removed from his Facebook profile. She said it was taken at a PiS conference and asked whether this is how the party’s events are supposed to look.
Mayor’s response claims misinterpretation
Mayor Szlachetka replied that the dart target was a stylized devil figure, not a national symbol, and that any other suggestion in this regard was manipulation. He shared a photo of the devil. In an interview with Radio Krakow, he called the incident a “pseudo‑scandal.”
Other participants join in the dart throw
A Fakty journalist also caught MP Jan Mosiński taking part. When shown that the dart had hit the German flag, he denied it and claimed there were “scissors.” Photos made it clear that the target contained a cartoon devil. Mosiński later told the paper that the current coalition is “once again opening up to the German economy,” making Poland a “cheap labour market” for German equipment exports.
Political context and implications
The incident has been used by opposition forces to criticize PiS’s foreign policy. Mosiński cited the proposal to raise CPK speed to 350 km/h, arguing that it would allow German trains to serve Polish passengers and that the government is favoring German imports. The mayor and others have downplayed the event as a harmless joke.