Inside the PiS Purge: How the Party Press Office Cut Off Morawiecki’s Allies on WhatsApp

Following a formal split in Law and Justice, a journalist published a screenshot showing the party press office removing MPs loyal to Mateusz Morawiecki from a WhatsApp group chat.

The Formal Split in Law and Justice

Friday, July 24, brought a formal split in Law and Justice, following a multi-week conflict over political associations operating within the party.

At noon, Jarosław Kaczyński announced that over thirty MPs had resigned their party membership, a fact that the PiS Political Committee will formally take note of on Tuesday. Two hours later, Mateusz Morawiecki responded at a Sejm press conference, stating that 40 MPs, a senator, and three MEPs stand with him.

The former prime minister insisted he fought for party unity until the last moment, having sent another letter with proposals to Kaczyński that very morning, while blaming an efficient group of intriguers for the split. When asked about founding a new party, Morawiecki avoided a direct answer, announced a nationwide tour for politicians of Development Plus, and set removing Donald Tusk from power as the priority.

WhatsApp Group Purge and Press Office Actions

Less than two hours after Kaczyński’s address, the PiS press office began organizing its communication channels with departing politicians. Edyta Kazikowska from the press office removed representatives of Morawiecki’s faction from the WhatsApp group chat used for media monitoring by the PiS parliamentary club.

Joanna Miziołek of Polsat News and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna published a screenshot of the conversation with the caption showing the removal of Mateusz Morawiecki’s MPs by the PiS press office.

Reactions and Online Commentary

Netizens drew attention to a contact signed as “Grzesiek from Dworczyk”, belonging to MP Grzegorz Macko, who jokingly commented “Grzesiek from Dworczyk greets you” under the post.

Mateusz Kurzajewski, PiS deputy spokesperson and campaign spokesperson for Przemysław Czarnek, stated that the journalist exposes parliamentary club employees who do not engage in public activity to hate, calling the move disgusting.