Karol Nawrocki was not supposed to win the Polish presidential election held on 18 May 2025. The forces that had held power in Poland since 13 December 2023, led by Donald Tusk, wanted to seize the only position they still did not control: the Presidency of the State. For this reason, the government, all state structures, the secret services, the public prosecutor’s offices, local administrations, and above all, the government-controlled media, were mobilised to secure victory in the second round for Tusk’s candidate — his deputy in the Civic Platform party, Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of the capital.

The election of Trzaskowski as president would have given Tusk absolute control over the state and completed a genuine “coup d’état” that had begun with the formation of the left-liberal government two years earlier.

In this situation, Nawrocki had to fight first and foremost against the gigantic media system controlled by the government and by other media groups supporting Trzaskowski, many of which are in the hands of foreign capital, mainly German. These outlets unleashed a massive campaign of defamation and hatred against the conservative candidate. The decisive role in this dirty game was played by Poland’s largest internet portal, ONET — published in Polish but owned by the German Axel Springer SE and the Swiss Ringier AG. And it was precisely ONET that, in just a few weeks, right at the end of the electoral campaign, “discovered” thanks to “anonymous sources” that Nawrocki was supposedly a mafioso and a pimp.

A man who was already director of the Museum of the Second World War and for several years president of the Institute of National Remembrance, subjected to strict vetting by all state services and praised by politicians across the political spectrum, was portrayed as a criminal by journalists worthy of being called followers of Goebbels. And behind this defamation campaign, the Germans — owners of ONET — could not be absent.

Only a massive mobilisation of the people allowed Nawrocki’s victory. But Trzaskowski’s defeat was never “digested” by the ruling forces, who first challenged the election results by calling for a recount of the ballots and then tried to prevent the new president from taking office. Szymon Hołownia, Speaker of the lower house of the Polish Parliament (Sejm), publicly admitted that he had been urged to organise a coup d’état — that is, to prevent Karol Nawrocki from assuming the office of President of the Republic (the President of Poland takes office after taking the oath before the National Assembly). Hołownia did not yield to this plot and himself became the target of fierce attacks by the media.

None of this is accidental; it is well coordinated. Thanks to investigations by an internet user, the existence of “troll farms” aimed at attacking politicians opposed to Tusk’s government and the President has been confirmed. For some time there have been rumours that Roman Giertych, a parliamentarian from Tusk’s party and his lawyer, runs an online troll farm that spreads hatred and disinformation.

Unfortunately, even the current leaders of the EU have not accepted Nawrocki’s victory. In Germany too, Chancellor Merz openly declared that he would have preferred a different president for Poland. This explains why President Nawrocki has also been criticised by mainstream European media, especially German ones.

From the very beginning of Nawrocki’s presidency, attempts have been made, with increasing intensity, to destroy the authority of the country’s first citizen through misinterpretations, malicious comments, lies, and various forms of manipulation. Many politicians from the current government and the media operators who support them, frustrated by the defeat of their candidate in the presidential election, use offensive terms and various vulgarities in their critical statements against Nawrocki. It is shameful and disqualifying that even Tusk and the new Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, have joined this campaign to discredit the person who, according to the Polish Constitution, is “the supreme representative of the Republic of Poland and the guarantor of the continuity of state authority.” Everything is used to damage the President’s image not only in Poland but also abroad.

In recent months, the attacks have intensified especially whenever Nawrocki has vetoed a bill, always taking into account — as he repeatedly emphasises — the interests of Poland and the Poles. This is obviously one of the President’s most important constitutional powers, and every time he uses it, he justifies the decision not only in a letter to the Speaker of the Sejm but also in a clear statement addressed to the citizens.

The attacks have not been limited to the President’s person but have also extended to his family. Supporters of Rafał Trzaskowski, seeking to vent their frustration over Tusk’s electoral defeat, immediately targeted Nawrocki’s seven-year-old daughter, who became the object of hateful comments online. Moreover, the girl, who is overweight like many children nowadays, was subjected to genuine body shaming.

Death threats against the President and his family have even appeared online. All of this without any reaction or condemnation from the government authorities.

The hatred of the mainstream media has recently also been poured onto Marta Nawrocka. The President’s wife decided to give an interview to TVN24, the pro-government television station that has always attacked conservative and patriotic circles and fought against Catholic and traditional values. Fully aware of whom she was dealing with, the First Lady agreed to the interview with this channel in an attempt to reach all women and establish dialogue between different political positions. Unfortunately, liberal-left media are not interested in dialogue but in gathering material for new attacks.

What should concern everyone in Europe is the fact that attacks against Nawrocki have also come from Germany, particularly when the President vetoed the SAFE project, which favoured the German arms industry.

The attack on Marta Nawrocka is a vile smear campaign that is part of a project designed to denigrate the President of Poland, minimise his role, and ultimately remove him from the political scene. It is a cold and deliberate political strategy by Tusk, who has chosen the worst way to stay in power under the motto: Divide et impera. Campaigns of hatred, demonisation, and defamation of political opponents serve precisely to divide Polish society and thereby control it effectively. But what is most incredible is that Tusk and his allies declare their willingness to combat hate speech online: Tusk’s Poland is becoming increasingly Kafkaesque.

The article originally appeared in Italian in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana: https://lanuovabq.it/it/continuano-gli-attacchi-della-sinistra-al-presidente-nawrocki