The Prosecutor’s Office in Krakow and that in Szczecin have initiated this Thursday two investigation proceedings as a result of the comments issued on the TV channel TV Republika following the attack with firearms in the very center of Krakow, in which nine people died, after during the live broadcast the actions and presence of the Police at the site of the attack were called into question.
"This involves defamation against the Police officers of Krakow, by stating that the Police were not present at the scene of the incident, as well as the dissemination of information, during a live broadcast, about the alleged involvement of foreigners in the attack on the market square", the spokesperson of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Krakow, Tomasz Waszczuk, said in statements to the PAP agency.
The investigations aim to clarify whether a journalist from the Polish chain knowingly disseminated false information about the police deployment and whether he committed public insults directed at a group based on their nationality, by suggesting on air that foreigners would have been involved in the attack.
"No one is above the law", the Polish Minister of Justice, Waldemar Zurek, has explained, who has emphasized that "the freedom of the media is the foundation of democracy", but in this case it is about "assuming responsibility" for the words that are spoken on a television channel. "Especially when they are said publicly, to millions of listeners", he said.
As has been said, what is not being requested is to reveal journalistic sources protected by law, but to secure evidence. "The prosecutor must have the possibility of determining whether a crime has been committed and who is responsible", he said, defending his actions.
The attack began at around 15:00 on Saturday, when a man arrived by car at the market square and opened fire indiscriminately.