-- SCHETYNA IN THE SEJM ABOUT PAWEŁ ADAMOWICZ, BILL FOR TVP FUNDING SCRAPPED - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/01/16/

-- MAGDALENA ADAMOWICZ ON WHAT HER HUSBAND WOULD HAVE WANTED: “I believe Paweł would have had two wishes. First, that Jerzy Owsiak, despite these tragic events, would remain the head of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity – says Magdalena Adamowicz. – Second, that we continue his work, the “Everything for Gdańsk” foundation – it has 50 apolitical goals, is pro-citizen, works for the residents. Hence the family’s request, for Saturday’s funeral, not to bring flowers or candles, but to support both organizations. Volunteers with collection boxes will be inside and outside the church. – This is my wish, and I know it would have been my husband’s wish – adds Adamowicz”. http://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl/trojmiasto/7,35612,24368510,magdalena-adamowicz-wierze-ze-zyczenia-pawla-bylyby-dwa.html

-- THIS IS A DISTORTION OF NORMAL POLITICAL CONFLICT - RAFAŁ MATYJA IN FAKT ON PO AND PiS: “I understand that there are two main parties – that is the choice of Poles, and so be it. However, the way these two parties compete, the things that are happening, especially in the last term, is a very drastic distortion of normal political conflict. In normal parliaments, no ruling force organizes sessions in a separate parliamentary hall. In normal parliaments, the majority leader does not shout at the opposition that 'you are scoundrels and you killed my brother.' In normal countries, public media are not like they are in today’s Poland. There are things that have gone beyond normality. I don’t think politics has to be super-ordered, moral, but we have gone beyond ordinary democratic normality in the last three years. There is always conflict, there are always personal tensions, but they cannot reach this level.”

-- PiS COULD HAVE WEAKENED OR STRENGTHENED THE CONFLICT - MATYJA FURTHER IN FAKT: “Law and Justice could have weakened the conflict or strengthened it. They could have built their support on issues like 500+, but they chose a different path. A path from which it is hard to turn back. In any conflict, sides are vindictive – it will be the same after a change of government.”

-- I HOPE THE CONFLICT WILL NOT BE USED BY RUSSIAN FACTORS - MATYJA FURTHER: “I hope this conflict will eventually be discredited, that it will exhaust itself, but for now it is still very strong. And various very bad things could happen. I cannot and do not want to fantasize, but the worst would be its use by Russian factors at some bad moment for Poland.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/rafal-matyja-pis-i-po-szukaja-smiertelnych-wrogow/2fwtbnr

-- A UNIFYING SIGN - RYSZARDA SOCHA IN POLITYKA: “Dulkiewicz received this proposal from Michał Dworczyk, head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery, and agreed. The fact that the Prime Minister from PiS wants her to become commissioner should be interpreted positively – as a non-confrontational gesture, aimed at calming emotions. At least for now, in the current circumstances, which are not favorable for PiS as a grouping that has hitherto divided people into better and worse, patriots and traitors, fueling aggression and hostility towards political opponents. The death of President Adamowicz has made many Poles realize what such divisions can lead to. That the line has been crossed.”

-- SOCHA ON ALEKSANDRA DULKIEWICZ: “She has a reputation as a very positive, hardworking person, friendly to people, and at the same time, when necessary, not lacking in so-called grit. Apparently, even PiS councilors speak well of her. Adamowicz himself, in 2017, when introducing Dulkiewicz as the new deputy mayor, characterized her as follows: ‘Aleksandra is a person who has gained diverse, important social experience. She is a very brave woman, collected, with a solid education. She has led many difficult projects. In her relations, she applies a soft mode of empathy, feminine openness, but with strongly present elements of toughness.’” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1778664,1,gdansk--czas-na-polityczna-wychowanke-pawla-adamowicza.read?src=mt

-- EWA SIEDLECKA ON PiS'S MORAL BLACKMAIL: “First and foremost, do not be morally blackmailed. Do not remain silent, as in the case of Piotr Szczęsny. Do not trust calls for orchestrated 'national unity' because they are made in bad faith: the other side is not looking for this unity. And it does not need it. Do not let yourself be convinced that criticism equals hate speech. Hate speech is inciting violence, dehumanizing, offending dignity, slandering, insulting. This must not be done; let us guard our tongues and pens. But criticism, even sharp, is not hate speech. We have not only the right to it, but even a civic duty, if it concerns public matters. And the propaganda of hatred, with which the government television and PiS politicians have been poisoning Poland for three years, is a public matter: it destroys the state and social bonds. We have the right to talk about it also in the context of the murder of the Mayor of Gdańsk. Let us not allow ourselves to be bound by our decency.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2019/01/15/nie-pozwolmy-sobie-zwiazac-rak-nasza-przyzwoitoscia/?nocheck=1

-- EWA SIEDLECKA ON DOUBTS ABOUT THE IMPARTIALITY OF THE INVESTIGATION: “Government television is already suggesting that there were irregularities in securing the event, and therefore the organizer, Jerzy Owsiak, is to blame. There is no possibility for any prosecutor to act independently today. The prosecutor's law, written to order by Zbigniew Ziobro and passed by PiS, has taken that possibility away. The Polish prosecution service is as credible and impartial as Zbigniew Ziobro. Ziobro's assurance that he will personally ensure fairness and credibility in this matter is symbolic.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1778640,1,ziobro-nie-gwarantuje-bezstronnosci-sledztwa-ws-morderstwa-pawla-adamowicza.read?src=mt

-- LET US RESTRAIN OURSELVES - TOMASZ STAWISZYŃSKI IN KRYTYKA: “The temptation to treat what happened in Gdańsk on Sunday as a justification for such a radical gesture is enormous. This is very clear today. However, if we give in to it, the spiral of destruction will truly begin. And further tragedies will occur. Therefore, let us restrain ourselves. Also for the sake of the memory of the deceased, also for the good of his family. And also for the good of the entire community. There are other ways to overcome the crisis, in which we are undoubtedly stuck for many years. Let's start by practicing restraint – in speaking, reacting, and following easy impulses.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/tomasz-stawiszynski-o-potrzebie-powsciagliwosci/

-- OWSIAK IS TODAY THE ONLY CONVICTED PERSON, LIKE ŚPIEWAK FOR PRIVATIZATION - SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI IN KRYTYKA: "Why is it that the only ones, or the first in line to be convicted, are not those who deserved it, but their victims? Owsiak is still the only one convicted for hate speech, not those who constantly slander him. This is already a rule. It was the same in the privatization scandal. To this day, the only one with a court verdict is Jan Śpiewak, not the murderers of Jolanta Brzeska or the privatization swindlers.”

-- IN THE WEST, POLITICAL EQUILIBRIUM MECHANISMS KEEP POLITICIANS IN CHECK, AND NO POISON POURS FROM PUBLIC MEDIA - SIERAKOWSKI FURTHER: “Indeed, in the West, of which we aspire to be a part, political assassinations also occur, extremist groups operate, and hate speech exists. But they are effectively prosecuted by law, political equilibrium and control mechanisms keep politicians in check, and hatred does not pour from public media. Then there is time for moral authorities, not time when they resign. Political tragedies sober up, rather than poison political life even more, as has been happening here from the assassination of Narutowicz to the Smoleńsk catastrophe. I cannot honestly write that I have faith within myself that this time it will be different. I am glad that I knew Paweł Adamowicz. He had such faith within himself.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/sierakowski-pawel-adamowicz-wspomnienie/

-- MARCIN FIJOŁEK PRAISES RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI AND WRITES ABOUT HOPE FOR BETTER CONVERSATION: “Perhaps we need to look for this common denominator even lower, start with the obvious. Such as, for instance, the behavior of Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who during Monday’s silent march in Warsaw closed down and cut off the topic of inflating it with political emotions. This must be noted, acknowledged, appreciated – especially by the other side of the dispute. And vice versa – it is worth pointing out examples of positive phenomena, such as the Warsaw PiS councilors or officials from the Presidential Chancellery who attended the aforementioned march, although it was unequivocally associated with the Civic Platform environment. Let us appreciate the small but important gesture of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in appointing not someone designated by PiS (which he had a certain right to do) as commissioner in Gdańsk, but a close collaborator of the murdered Adamowicz.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/429648-moze-w-koncu-cos-peknie-kropla-moze-wydrazyc-skale

-- THIS TRAGEDY HAS TOUCHED EACH OF US - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “The murder of the Mayor of Gdańsk is an unprecedented crime. Paweł Adamowicz died on stage, in the spotlight, in front of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of viewers. He died as part of the bizarre 'revenge' of a criminal, previously convicted for bank robberies, possibly suffering from mental problems. All of this makes the events of the past few days a tragic, special moment that will go down in our history and will be remembered for a very long time. Also because, due to its unprecedented nature, this tragedy has touched each of us.”

-- AN IMPORTANT LESSON - KARNOWSKI WRITES: “We will return to this tragedy in our debates often and for a long time. But perhaps not only in a political context. It has spectacularly reminded us of both the value of life and its fragility. In an era dominated by virtual reality, this is also a very important lesson.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/429677-jacek-karnowski-kilka-uwag-po-tragedii-w-gdansku

-- JAKUB MAJMUREK ON DECENT GESTURES WE COULDN'T BE SURE OF: “Certainly, we should appreciate that politicians from the ruling camp, in the face of tragedy, managed to make a few humane, decent gestures. The Minister of Health, Łukasz Szumowski, went to the hospital where Adamowicz was operated on. A government plane was sent for the mayor's wife. Prime Minister Morawiecki appointed Adamowicz’s deputy, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, as commissioner in Gdańsk – she will perform the functions of the city mayor until new elections, which, according to the law, must be held within three months. If the prime minister had appointed someone close to his party as city commissioner, it would have been a politically and reputationally indefensible decision. Instead of fostering mourning, it would have only escalated political tension. All these gestures should have been obvious – the temperature of the dispute in Poland is so high today that we could not be at all sure of them.”

-- WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND POLITICS LESS BASED ON THE ABSOLUTIZATION OF CONFLICT - MAJMUREK FURTHER: “In the long term, we have the right to demand politics that is less based on the absolutization of conflict, more substantive, not artificially suppressing actual social divisions, but capable of using dispute to generate sensible solutions to our problems, to negotiate different sensitivities and interests. Will the tragedy bring sobriety? Will Poland become more open to dialogue, wise change, respect for those who think differently? Will it become like Adamowicz's Gdańsk? A mayor who could learn and open up to new ideas and environments. In the Second Polish Republic, the assassination of Narutowicz unfortunately did not bring repentance. It permanently poisoned the political life of the young democracy and contributed to its extinguishment by the Sanation camp a few years later. How it will end this time depends on all of us. Everything must be done to ensure that history does not repeat itself.” https://www.newsweek.pl/opinie/czas-na-zalobe-polityczna-i-obywatelska/dhyyshz

-- THIS COULD BE NATIONAL RETREATS FROM WHICH WE WILL LEARN NOTHING - TOMASZ KRZYŻAK IN RZ: “The tragic death of Paweł Adamowicz may unfortunately become another installment of 'national retreats' from which we will learn nothing. This will not be the case if we all say: enough! It will not be the case if we see the other person as a human being.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/301159911-Krzyzak-Rozmowa-z-pozycji-sily-to-zaden-dialog.html

-- TIME FOR A DECISIVE VOICE FROM THE CHURCH - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI in RZ: “Today, the bishops' voice should descend even lower. Let parish priests remind the faithful that hatred, especially politically motivated hatred, is irreconcilable with Christ's teaching, at the center of which are neighborly love and mercy. Confessors should also be alerted to question the faithful in the confessional about whether they have transformed from pious Catholics into hate-mongering trolls on the internet. Every Catholic should also ask themselves these questions.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190119569-Szuldrzynski-Czas-na-zdecydowany-glos-Kosciola-w-sprawie-nienawisci.html

-- WE ARE FACING AN ESCALATION OF POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND HATE - Grzegorz Wysocki in GW: “So, unfortunately, I don't believe. I don't believe in any abstract national community. I don't believe in agreement beyond divisions. I don't believe that all Poles are one family. I don't believe that silence and peace await us, because we have 'hit a wall.' So now only agreement, love, and mutual respect. I really wish I were wrong, but I fear it will get even worse. That further escalation awaits us – political and media divisions, polarization of attitudes and views, internet hate, disgusting 'honesty' on social media.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24366375,doszlismy-do-sciany-ale-skad-bedzie-jeszcze-gorzej.html

-- KURSKI IS WEAKENING BUT LIKELY TO STAY - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK in GW: “In PiS, however, there is indeed a prevailing belief that Kaczyński will not change the head of TVP. – In an election year? When we have good ratings, partly thanks to TVP's messaging? Why? – they ask at Nowogrodzka. And they claim that Kurski still has Kaczyński's full support, and proof of this is the decision for public media to receive another financial injection.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24366833,jacek-kurski-musi-odejsc-jest-petycja-do-jaroslawa-kaczynskiego.html

-- WPOLITYCE WRITES THAT KURSKI WILL STAY - WISHFUL THINKING OF INTERNAL FACTIONS: “Our source, well-informed in government circles, states: There is no question of that, these press leaks are just wishful thinking of some internal factions and their media appendages. There is full agreement at Nowogrodzka that despite inevitable mistakes at times, without the pluralism provided by TVP, the furious anti-PiS media would have long ago crushed this team. According to our sources, the furious attack on the latest issue of 'Wiadomości' will not be a breakthrough here either.”

-- THE ASSURANCES OF ENSURING MEDIA NEUTRALITY ARE WORTHLESS - WPOLITYCE ON THE EXAMPLE OF RZ: “Furthermore, the promises of some PiS members that they will ensure the neutrality of critical media turn out to be worthless. An example of this is 'Rzeczpospolita', a favorite of part of the ruling camp, whose editor-in-chief, the day after the tragedy, rushed to issue a radical accusation that we are dealing with a political murder, for which – by implication – PiS is to blame, says our source.” https://wpolityce.pl/media/429681-nasz-news-nie-ma-mowy-o-odwolaniu-prezesa-tvp

-- VIRTUAL MEDIA: SELLIN, LICHOCKA OR LEWANDOWSKI IN TVP: “Law and Justice is considering dismissing Jacek Kurski from the position of TVP president. If such a decision is made, MPs Jarosław Sellin and Joanna Lichocka, or Deputy Minister of Culture Paweł Lewandowski, have a chance to head public television. However, it is possible that Kurski will remain and will have to tone down the commentary on TVP Info, the portal Wirtualnemedia.pl has learned.” https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/sellin-lichocka-i-lewandowski-wsrod-kandydatow-do-zastapienia-jacka-kurskiego

-- NAUSEA AFTER 'WIADOMOŚCI' - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI in GW: “PiS will soon have to answer this question. If it retains even a milligram of decency, the individuals responsible for Monday's broadcast of 'Wiadomości' should not remain in their positions. The head of PSL, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, has also officially requested Jarosław Kaczyński to dismiss the president of TVP.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24367668,mdlosci-po-wiadomosciach.html

-- AGNIESZKA BURZYŃSKA IN FAKT ON THE CALENDAR OF THE POLISH-POLISH WAR: “The Polish-Polish war began in late autumn 2005, after it turned out that the Civic Platform and PiS would not form the anticipated coalition.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/kalendarium-sporu-od-politycznej-przyjazni-do-wojny/xyvdr08

-- ANNIVERSARY OF TOMASZ KALITA'S DEATH.

-- BIRTHDAYS: Katarzyna Kopacz-Petranyuk, Dariusz Lasocki, Lech Jaworski, Andrzej Szahaj, Magdalena Zdort