Hate speech, security to be probed after Polish mayor slain

Jaki said on social media the task force would also examine the professionalism of security firms, rules on how mass public events are organised, and the role of the penitentiary system in isolating serious offenders from society.

Paweł Adamowicz, the mayor of Gdańsk, northern Poland, died on January 14 from severe wounds inflicted a day earlier by a knifeman during a high-profile annual fundraiser called the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

Adamowicz was knifed on stage in Gdańsk in front of a crowd.

Jaki said: “We already have or are working on new solutions to limit the risk of similar tragedies in the future."

Adamowicz’s murder shocked Poland, prompting calls for an end to hate speech amid bitter political divisions in the country.

The 27-year-old knifeman, who was detained at the scene of the attack and subsequently charged with murder, has been identified by officials as an ex-convict with mental health problems who had recently been released from prison for armed robbery.

Jaki’s comments came before senior government and opposition politicians emerged from a meeting on Friday afternoon in which they debated possible legislative changes following the mayor’s killing.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR