Justice
Polish President To Appeal Right To Be Called Runt
Warsaw, Poland 27 January 2010 - The President’s office will appeal a court dismissal of a legal suit about the Polish Head of State and his twin brother being called “runts”. The court dismissed the issue after a linguist said the term used to describe Poland's President was “innappropriate and offensive, but does not constitute insult to either the office or the person filling the role”.
President Lech Kaczynski said the term used by opposition party member Janusz Palikot (PO) in a blog entry was an insult of the public office which is illegal in Poland.
Palikot said the reaction of the President and his brother confirm what he tried to say by calling them “runts” - that they are childish.
He said the twins had complexes and insecurities resulting from their childhood days.
“From these insecurities they get these aggressive theories attributing people the worst of qualities,” Palikot said,
“I just wanted to show that such qualities in 60-year-old people results from certain experiences, certain attitudes, a certain way they were received by their surroundings when they are little boys.”
Last year Palikot had similar legal problems when he suggested Lech Kaczynski had “alcohol related problems” and asked the President to categorically accept or deny allegations.
This affair started last year, but is not the first time Palikot faced court over his misuse of
language in regards to the President.
“It’s not right that I face the prosecutor for the twentieth time for something I said about the President,” Palikot said.
“If we are to go to jail over a word, what should we do to people who rape, are pedophiles or murder while drunk? There has to be some gradation in all of this.”
Palikot is a strong adversary of the criminal code annotation that states one can be punished for insulting the President.
“This is upside down, and nitpicking almost every statement which is critical, it’s some kind of cult of personality,” he said.
The Polish word for “runt”, or “shrimp” was, according to some etymologists, originally coined to describe Napoleon Bonaparte.
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By Victoria Ziarkowski
Freelance Writer
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