On the 16th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster, Polish officials commemorated the victims while a right-wing television station launched criticism at current Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Smolensk Anniversary Commemorations
On Friday, April 10th, President Karol Nawrocki and PiS politicians, including party leader Jarosław Kaczyński, participated in a memorial service before the Presidential Palace in Warsaw and laid a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of the Smolensk Tragedy 2010 and President Lech Kaczyński on Pilsudski Square.
Flowers were also laid at the Smolensk Tragedy Monument in the Military Cemetery on Powązki by Senate Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Sejm Vice-Marshal Szymon Hołownia, and Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
Right-Wing Television’s Criticism
A discussion dedicated to the anniversary of the Smolensk disaster took place on the wPolsce24 television station, marked by harsh words and attacks directed at the current head of government.
Anita Gargas of “Gazeta Polska” and “Gazeta Polska Codziennie” stated, “Donald Tusk, who cannot be a leader of the nation, becomes a leader of ruffians, vulgar boors and simpletons, who came to Krakowskie Przedmieście, where the victims of the Smolensk disaster were commemorated.” Station host Marcin Wikło also mentioned “fury.”
Accusations Against Tusk
Gargas described Tusk as a “political coward” who “hides from society,” noting he organized the first conference regarding the Smolensk disaster only 18 days after the event.
Gargas also asserted that “it was obvious who organized this flight and why.” She claimed that Tomasz Arabski, then a high-ranking official in Tusk’s government, was responsible for organizing the flight, along with four other officials, and that the prosecution dropped the case. She added that families of the victims who sued Arabski were harassed by a “mob” led by Tusk, whom she called a “fat cat.”
Causes of the Smolensk Crash
The report states that the direct cause of the crash on April 10, 2010, was descending below the minimum descent altitude (100 m) at excessive speed, combined with unfavorable weather conditions.
According to the Miller Commission, the Tupolev pilots violated safety procedures, leading to a collision with trees, the detachment of the aircraft’s left wing, loss of control, and ultimately, impact with the ground.
