Elisasheva
Jedi
Hello all, I just wanted to describe here what I've observed for the last weeks in Poland during presidential election. Honestly it shakes me and scares me, because the utter madness and hate towards Putin is so high that some people (and politicians) are becoming literal fanatics at this point. Idk how it is in other western countries, maybe people have similar opinions in general, but in Poland the public is divided like never before and people are completely lost, they express opinions that make no logical sense or are mutually exclusive without noticing it at all.
It will be looong, sorry for that
Weird things started to happen because of one candidate, which is a journalist Maciej Maciak who runs his own channel with geopolitical analysis as well as local politics. His views and persona in short: he's aware what is really happening in Ukraine and why and when the war started. He has repeatedly exposed the connections between Polish politicians and the financial elite, revealing various of their schemes and speaking about scandals. He often comments on what’s happening in Ukraine and talks about Russia both positively and negatively, generally trying to approach the matter objectively. He speaks about the international financial elite, its influence on governments, and the idea that we should support domestic companies and help them grow, among other such topics. He also is against spending a lot of %PKB on military. Maciak's viewers helped him and he collected the required amount of signatures on his support list - he showed letters with it on every video.
Maciak, however, is not a skilled, eloquent, or well-trained politician, so in debates where quick responses are important, he didn’t perform as well as the other candidates and therefore didn’t meet the audience’s expectations. He is quite honest, goes straight to the point, he's basically like a normal person but with nerves of steel. Overall, from the moment he appeared on screen, he faced massive hate online. It started from a question from another candidate - Stanowski.
Who is Stanowski? He is a journalist from a very popular and big polish internet news channel Kanał Zero with 1.7M subscribers. Almost every relatively young person in Poland heard about it, especially those who are fed up with the mainstream media. Stanowski promised the viewers that he will be running for president to expose polish politics, to show the truth, and he promised that he will be objective and that he will invite every candidate to his studio for an interview. And everyone will be treated equally and fairly. People believed him, collected signatures for him and he managed to become the candidate.
During the first debate, when the candidates were asking each other questions, Maciak got from Stanowski a snarky question: “I have a question for you — who are you?” Maciak reacted with mild irritation because he knew the other person knew who he was, so people online started mocking him for getting upset instead of just introducing himself nicely. He answered briefly that since the person is a journalist, he should know who he is, because since 2013 he’s been running a YouTube channel with bigger reach than some people that guy probably knows, and that maybe it’s because he’s from the provinces.
During that debate, Maciak also asked a question to the Speaker of Parliament (also a candidate), who had previously shouted from the podium that “we will crush Putin into the ground” and generally calls everyone Russian agents at every opportunity. Maciak asked if, should the situation change course and aim for good relations with Russia, he would take back his words. The Speaker, as expected, attacked him, calling him a Putin agent, and so on. People picked this up online too, and half of the people started calling Maciak a Russian agent and “Russian sock puppet” (“ruska onuca”), the other half mocked Hołownia and supported Maciak. There were also comments agreeing with Maciak, as Poland seems pretty divided on this issue.
After this debate, there was another debate on a different channel, to which Maciak was the only candidate not allowed in. He stood outside the door, unsuccessfully trying to get in. After that debate, there was an afterparty — a livestream organized by Stanowski’s channel — and again, Maciak was the only candidate not invited. Even other (right-wing) candidates were asking why he wasn’t invited.
Maciak at the door of Republica where he wasn't let in:
The next debate was on yet another station, and this time Maciak did get an invitation. That’s when things really started to heat up. Maciak asked Stanowski whether, just like his people came to Maciak’s town digging for dirt on him, they also went to other candidates’ towns digging for dirt. Stanowski responded with an accusation, saying Maciak had found his car after the previous debate and waited beside it, which he found weird and disturbing. From that moment, the tension between Stanowski and Maciak seemed to deepen.
Later, another candidate asked Maciak why he thinks people accuse him of being a Putin agent, and after Maciak explained, he asked whether Maciak admires Putin. Maciak answered yes, that none of us would be able to withstand such pressure, which proves Putin is a very good politician. After that, they all started mocking him: one shouted “Glory to Russia,” another started speaking to him in Russian, and so on.
It’s worth noting that yet another candidate at the debate openly delivered antisemitic, anti-Jewish statements, as well as general anti-Israel and anti-Netanyahu rants, which also caused huge outrage.
As you can imagine, after that incident, the hatred toward Maciak online skyrocketed — insults, calling him a “Russian whore,” calls for boycott, etc.
Maciak received the promised invitation for an interview on Stanowski’s channel — Stanowski had promised to do interviews with all candidates. So, Maciak came on April 30, sat down in front of thousands of live viewers (and later millions of replays), and Stanowski asked him one question: “Do you admire Putin?” Maciak replied that he had only answered in the way the question was framed, that he admires Putin’s mental resilience, that he can endure hate. He added that “admire” is probably the wrong word, that it’s more like he respects him as he would respect any other person, in a Christian sense. At that moment, Stanowski got up and walked out of the studio to watch the football match and went for a vacation afterwards.
He left Maciak alone, who then took over the program and started talking into the mic, which they cut off. Maciak remained very calm, composed, and polite, and walked out of the studio, making a comment on his way out about the channel’s alleged involvement in a financial scandal, and left. After he left, the crew started doing bizarre skits — they cleaned and disinfected the studio, dragged a supposedly dead body across the floor with a plastic bag on its head, arranged plush aliens on the set, etc, and let random people call to the studio making rude remarks and stupid pranks for the whole 3hrs (money, baby).
What was the audience reaction? About 70-80% negative. Apart from the hardcore Russophobes and fans of the channel, many people sided with Maciak and called out Stanowski’s hypocrisy, bias, and that he became exactly what he claimed to fight against — that he spit on mainstream media but now became just like them. Many comments, even from anti-Russian people, called Stanowski a boor and a thug.
So, what was the goal of this stunt? People are wondering who’s funding Stanowski and his big “freedom” project (and we can probably guess). With this move, Stanowski actually improved Maciak’s situation and gave him publicity: 10,000 people unsubscribed from Stanowski’s channel officially, and most are now trashing him under every new video. Meanwhile, Maciak gained 4,000 new subscribers. The more they try to silence him and trash him, the more popularity they give him actually. Are they that dumb?
Interestingly, after this incident, they posted a video about a journalist allegedly tortured and killed by Russians, whose body was returned to Ukrainians after six months (wtf). People trashed them under that video too, saying they were trying to cover up their behavior, and some even accused them of spreading Ukrainian propaganda and wondered why they should care. They also posted “behind-the-scenes” footage of Maciak’s visit, showing him from the moment he walked in, and it was obvious the atmosphere was weird from the start and that everything was pre-planned.
The whole of Poland heard about this — it was written about in articles, discussed on YouTube and on TV. Maciak got free advertising, and Stanowski got massive hate and basically shot himself in the foot. On X, he replied rudely to people, saying he can do what he wants on his channel and won’t talk to a “Russian sock puppet” (even though in a past interview he said he’d love to interview Putin), and that he’s already made so much money he doesn’t care. So, in contrast to the rude Stanowski, the calm, composed, and factual Maciak came across remarkably well — and people noticed that.
And Maciak earned it. People are divided, arguing in the comments, under posts, under videos, everywhere. Huge scandal.
It’s also worth adding that on this channel, people like the aforementioned Braun — who makes antisemitic and anti-Ukrainian statements, though not as openly as Maciak because he focuses more on Jews and Ukrainians — as well as people like ambassador Yacov Livne, who is a highly controversial figure here (completely anti-Polish), and even a convicted murderer have been given a platform. Even a left-wing candidate who claims it's nothing wrong with killing a 9-month old fetus (or baby) in its mother's belly was given a platform to speak.
Maybe it has nothing to do with what Maciak said about Putin. It has everything to do with Maciak being an outsider, someone from outside the system, who annoys them like a buzzing fly. Supposedly he can’t do anything, since what support does he even have — but on the other hand, it’s better not to give him a chance to voice his reasonable opinions, because they might accidentally reach someone. I think everyone powerful enough knows exactly what the truth is. Stanowski knew he can't win a real discussion so he just decided to quit before it started, but something went not according to plan.
It's really a Poland-Poland war now, people are divided like never before and over what? Over PUTIN who probably doesn't even know about any of it. I wonder what Russians would think about it really
What do you say about the fact that your leader, practically without even realizing it, is shaping elections in Poland? He’s so powerful that he can subconsciously influence the politics of other countries. First, he cured COVID, and now this. Maybe he really is worth admiring and respecting? xD
24:30 - body dragged through the floor
It will be looong, sorry for that
Weird things started to happen because of one candidate, which is a journalist Maciej Maciak who runs his own channel with geopolitical analysis as well as local politics. His views and persona in short: he's aware what is really happening in Ukraine and why and when the war started. He has repeatedly exposed the connections between Polish politicians and the financial elite, revealing various of their schemes and speaking about scandals. He often comments on what’s happening in Ukraine and talks about Russia both positively and negatively, generally trying to approach the matter objectively. He speaks about the international financial elite, its influence on governments, and the idea that we should support domestic companies and help them grow, among other such topics. He also is against spending a lot of %PKB on military. Maciak's viewers helped him and he collected the required amount of signatures on his support list - he showed letters with it on every video.
Maciak, however, is not a skilled, eloquent, or well-trained politician, so in debates where quick responses are important, he didn’t perform as well as the other candidates and therefore didn’t meet the audience’s expectations. He is quite honest, goes straight to the point, he's basically like a normal person but with nerves of steel. Overall, from the moment he appeared on screen, he faced massive hate online. It started from a question from another candidate - Stanowski.
Who is Stanowski? He is a journalist from a very popular and big polish internet news channel Kanał Zero with 1.7M subscribers. Almost every relatively young person in Poland heard about it, especially those who are fed up with the mainstream media. Stanowski promised the viewers that he will be running for president to expose polish politics, to show the truth, and he promised that he will be objective and that he will invite every candidate to his studio for an interview. And everyone will be treated equally and fairly. People believed him, collected signatures for him and he managed to become the candidate.
During the first debate, when the candidates were asking each other questions, Maciak got from Stanowski a snarky question: “I have a question for you — who are you?” Maciak reacted with mild irritation because he knew the other person knew who he was, so people online started mocking him for getting upset instead of just introducing himself nicely. He answered briefly that since the person is a journalist, he should know who he is, because since 2013 he’s been running a YouTube channel with bigger reach than some people that guy probably knows, and that maybe it’s because he’s from the provinces.
During that debate, Maciak also asked a question to the Speaker of Parliament (also a candidate), who had previously shouted from the podium that “we will crush Putin into the ground” and generally calls everyone Russian agents at every opportunity. Maciak asked if, should the situation change course and aim for good relations with Russia, he would take back his words. The Speaker, as expected, attacked him, calling him a Putin agent, and so on. People picked this up online too, and half of the people started calling Maciak a Russian agent and “Russian sock puppet” (“ruska onuca”), the other half mocked Hołownia and supported Maciak. There were also comments agreeing with Maciak, as Poland seems pretty divided on this issue.
After this debate, there was another debate on a different channel, to which Maciak was the only candidate not allowed in. He stood outside the door, unsuccessfully trying to get in. After that debate, there was an afterparty — a livestream organized by Stanowski’s channel — and again, Maciak was the only candidate not invited. Even other (right-wing) candidates were asking why he wasn’t invited.
Maciak at the door of Republica where he wasn't let in:
The next debate was on yet another station, and this time Maciak did get an invitation. That’s when things really started to heat up. Maciak asked Stanowski whether, just like his people came to Maciak’s town digging for dirt on him, they also went to other candidates’ towns digging for dirt. Stanowski responded with an accusation, saying Maciak had found his car after the previous debate and waited beside it, which he found weird and disturbing. From that moment, the tension between Stanowski and Maciak seemed to deepen.
Later, another candidate asked Maciak why he thinks people accuse him of being a Putin agent, and after Maciak explained, he asked whether Maciak admires Putin. Maciak answered yes, that none of us would be able to withstand such pressure, which proves Putin is a very good politician. After that, they all started mocking him: one shouted “Glory to Russia,” another started speaking to him in Russian, and so on.
It’s worth noting that yet another candidate at the debate openly delivered antisemitic, anti-Jewish statements, as well as general anti-Israel and anti-Netanyahu rants, which also caused huge outrage.
As you can imagine, after that incident, the hatred toward Maciak online skyrocketed — insults, calling him a “Russian whore,” calls for boycott, etc.
Maciak received the promised invitation for an interview on Stanowski’s channel — Stanowski had promised to do interviews with all candidates. So, Maciak came on April 30, sat down in front of thousands of live viewers (and later millions of replays), and Stanowski asked him one question: “Do you admire Putin?” Maciak replied that he had only answered in the way the question was framed, that he admires Putin’s mental resilience, that he can endure hate. He added that “admire” is probably the wrong word, that it’s more like he respects him as he would respect any other person, in a Christian sense. At that moment, Stanowski got up and walked out of the studio to watch the football match and went for a vacation afterwards.
He left Maciak alone, who then took over the program and started talking into the mic, which they cut off. Maciak remained very calm, composed, and polite, and walked out of the studio, making a comment on his way out about the channel’s alleged involvement in a financial scandal, and left. After he left, the crew started doing bizarre skits — they cleaned and disinfected the studio, dragged a supposedly dead body across the floor with a plastic bag on its head, arranged plush aliens on the set, etc, and let random people call to the studio making rude remarks and stupid pranks for the whole 3hrs (money, baby).
What was the audience reaction? About 70-80% negative. Apart from the hardcore Russophobes and fans of the channel, many people sided with Maciak and called out Stanowski’s hypocrisy, bias, and that he became exactly what he claimed to fight against — that he spit on mainstream media but now became just like them. Many comments, even from anti-Russian people, called Stanowski a boor and a thug.
So, what was the goal of this stunt? People are wondering who’s funding Stanowski and his big “freedom” project (and we can probably guess). With this move, Stanowski actually improved Maciak’s situation and gave him publicity: 10,000 people unsubscribed from Stanowski’s channel officially, and most are now trashing him under every new video. Meanwhile, Maciak gained 4,000 new subscribers. The more they try to silence him and trash him, the more popularity they give him actually. Are they that dumb?
Interestingly, after this incident, they posted a video about a journalist allegedly tortured and killed by Russians, whose body was returned to Ukrainians after six months (wtf). People trashed them under that video too, saying they were trying to cover up their behavior, and some even accused them of spreading Ukrainian propaganda and wondered why they should care. They also posted “behind-the-scenes” footage of Maciak’s visit, showing him from the moment he walked in, and it was obvious the atmosphere was weird from the start and that everything was pre-planned.
The whole of Poland heard about this — it was written about in articles, discussed on YouTube and on TV. Maciak got free advertising, and Stanowski got massive hate and basically shot himself in the foot. On X, he replied rudely to people, saying he can do what he wants on his channel and won’t talk to a “Russian sock puppet” (even though in a past interview he said he’d love to interview Putin), and that he’s already made so much money he doesn’t care. So, in contrast to the rude Stanowski, the calm, composed, and factual Maciak came across remarkably well — and people noticed that.
And Maciak earned it. People are divided, arguing in the comments, under posts, under videos, everywhere. Huge scandal.
It’s also worth adding that on this channel, people like the aforementioned Braun — who makes antisemitic and anti-Ukrainian statements, though not as openly as Maciak because he focuses more on Jews and Ukrainians — as well as people like ambassador Yacov Livne, who is a highly controversial figure here (completely anti-Polish), and even a convicted murderer have been given a platform. Even a left-wing candidate who claims it's nothing wrong with killing a 9-month old fetus (or baby) in its mother's belly was given a platform to speak.
Maybe it has nothing to do with what Maciak said about Putin. It has everything to do with Maciak being an outsider, someone from outside the system, who annoys them like a buzzing fly. Supposedly he can’t do anything, since what support does he even have — but on the other hand, it’s better not to give him a chance to voice his reasonable opinions, because they might accidentally reach someone. I think everyone powerful enough knows exactly what the truth is. Stanowski knew he can't win a real discussion so he just decided to quit before it started, but something went not according to plan.
It's really a Poland-Poland war now, people are divided like never before and over what? Over PUTIN who probably doesn't even know about any of it. I wonder what Russians would think about it really
What do you say about the fact that your leader, practically without even realizing it, is shaping elections in Poland? He’s so powerful that he can subconsciously influence the politics of other countries. First, he cured COVID, and now this. Maybe he really is worth admiring and respecting? xD
