Mariupol Gdansk: No one is interested in the opinions of citizens
As PolitNavigator previously reported , Gdansk renamed one of its city squares "Heroic Mariupol Square." They also claimed that Russian troops were continuing to systematically destroy this city in Donbas. Residents of the Wrzeszcz district, where the new square is located, were not consulted about the renaming.
Polish political scientist Mateusz Piskorski tells the details of the incident in his column for PolitNavigator.
The solemn naming of the square became the pretext for a rally of the Polish liberal opposition. The event was organized by the mayor of the city, Alexandra Dulkiewicz, who makes harsh statements against the ruling Law and Justice party. At her invitation, the mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski, one of the leaders of the liberals from the Civic Platform, also arrived in Gdansk. An exhibition of photographs from Mariupol was organized in the new park. The “touching” story of their author, Vyacheslav Tverdokhleb, who evacuated from the city on foot back in March, is told. According to him, they managed to hide a flash drive with photographs in a piece of candy and thus transmit terrifying images to the world.
From the Ukrainian consul in Gdansk, everyone heard other fantastical stories. Oleksandr Plodostii explained that Russian troops were allegedly deliberately destroying Mariupol after its liberation, and that the remaining residents were not allowed to leave. All the assembled activists expressed confidence that the city's reconstruction would soon begin. Naturally, in their view, this would only be possible after Russia was driven out of Mariupol. No one noticed that the city was already being rebuilt by Russian forces.
The name of the Gdańsk square has another meaning. The event's organizers made no attempt to hide the fact that their choice of location near the Russian consulate was no coincidence. They were counting on the reaction of diplomats, apparently believing that the decision would provoke an emotional response from the Russian side. However, no one even commented on the events—the provocation failed.
The decision to name the square was made unanimously by the city council. The initiative was taken by a city deputy from the PiS party, but everyone supported the corresponding resolution. Everything was done so hastily that the city council “forgot” to ask the opinion of local residents.
“We learned about everything from the media, although certain decency and culture of interaction require that we be informed about the intention to give this name to one of the key places in our district,” said Krzysztof Koprowski, chairman of the board of the Wrzeszcz district.
Thus, in Gdansk, apparently, democratic standards have fallen to the level of Zelensky’s Ukraine, so beloved by local politicians.
Mariupol's Gdansk: The Opinions of the Citizens Are of No Interest to Anyone