On Friday at ul. Marszałkowska in Warsaw, police officers securing the assembly in front of the Constitutional Tribunal detained a man who - according to the police - attacked a policewoman. The woman's condition required taking her to hospital. The Warsaw Police Headquarters reported that during a search of the detainee it turned out that he had a knife with him. His photo was also published. There were reports in the media that the officer was attacked with a knife, which turned out to be untrue.
He expressed reservations about the actions and method of communication of the police and the media, among others: former Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński. In a post on social media, he said that he knew the detained man - Mr. Piotr - because he was a member of the civic guard and technical staff from the beginning of the protest in front of the Constitutional Tribunal.
"Information for the liars of the current government and their media: Mr. Piotr had a knife with him, a tourist knife, small, foldable, with a wooden frame. I know because we once borrowed this murder weapon from him to cut... an apple. An ordinary thing in a tent city, at a protest that lasts for weeks and normal tourist equipment is used there. Not a machete, not a bayonet, but a folding penknife. Mr. Tusk never protested, so maybe you don't know... but rather he knows, he's just lying," wrote Gliński.
In order to dispel doubts about the man's arrest, the police published on social media a recording from the body camera of one of the intervening officers.
"From the very beginning, the man put up resistance - both passive and active. He did not follow the policemen's orders, refused to provide his personal data and show his ID. He tried to escape, running towards the building at ul. Marszałkowska, where he wanted to hide. During the arrest, he violated the bodily integrity of the intervening policewoman. The officer suffered injuries that required medical assistance. She was taken to hospital," the police said.
This was the second video presented by the police in this case. The first concerned legal assistance for the detained.
In the earlier recording released by the police, a dialogue can be heard regarding the lawyer's access to the man.
Sir, your lawyer Magdalena Leszczyńska contacted you and wanted to contact you. This contact will be possible if you provide us with your data. You need to identify yourself to us - that is, provide your details so that we know who you are, right? Do you demand contact with this woman, with this lawyer? - asked the policeman.
I don't know her, the detainee replied.
The officer then asked if the man would provide his personal details: his name and where he lived. The answer was: I don't have to.
Magdalena Prządka-Leszczyńska commented on the recording. "It's a beautiful video, but it's a pity that the officer did not inform the detainee that Bartosz Malewski and Jerzy Kwaśniewski were also appointed as his defenders and that these defenders were appointed by his wife. The detainee directly stated that he did not have this information and did not know that these were people he could trust. Interestingly, the officer visible in the recording yesterday assured me that he had no direct contact with the detainee and was only passing on information received from his superiors and that, unfortunately, he cannot make such a recording public. Statement This was recorded by TV Republika," she noted.
The police said that "contrary to widespread information about a 'cut wound to the head', the detained man has no such injuries." Attorney Bartosz Malewski, who was admitted to the detainee, accused the police of violating the right to defense. The officers were to be present throughout the conversation between the lawyer and the man. "Mr. Piotr's health condition is poor. He could barely sit. He feels threatened. He still does not know the reasons why he was detained, and no charges have been brought against him," he noted, simultaneously publishing a statement signed by the detained man.
