Piotr Szczęsny

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Piotr Szczęsny
Flowers and grave candles on the spot where Piotr Szczęsny burned himself, a few days after his death
Memorial plaque next to the grandstand of the Kulturpalast:
"I, the ordinary, gray person"
Burial in the Salwator cemetery

Piotr Szczęsny (* 1963 in Białystok ; † October 29, 2017 in Warsaw ) was a Polish chemist and member of the Polish canteen society. He studied chemistry at Jagellonen University and became a member of the Independent Students' Union . In the 1980s he worked in the trade union federation " Solidarność ".

After graduation, he stayed as an assistant at the university and began his doctoral thesis. After 1989 he left the university and co-founded a publishing company that published manuals on chemistry. For ten years he held the post of chairman of a society for professional development. He worked as a consultant on business issues. In 2016 he closed his company.

He burned himself to death as a sign of political protest. On October 19, 2017, starting at 4 p.m., Piotr Szczęsny distributed self-written leaflets with fifteen points of criticism of the national-conservative PiS government on the square in front of the Warsaw Palace of Culture . The text on the leaflets was written in precise language and free of swearwords. Szczęsny accused the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) of, among other things, restricting civil rights, breaking the constitution and destroying the independent judiciary.

Then Szczęsny poured a flammable liquid over himself and set himself on fire. He died in the hospital ten days later.

The liberal city councilor Paulina Piechna-Wieckiewicz saw Szczęsny on fire when she came out of a meeting. Several people tried to delete it. Immediately after the crime, the MP published Szczęsny's leaflet on Twitter. Hundreds of people met at the scene on the following days. Someone sprayed “ To było tutaj. 19.10.2017 "(German:" It was here 19 October 2017 ".) Next to the site. The graffito was removed the next day, but then replaced by passers-by. This went back and forth several times until the police issued penalties. A few days later there were more and more inscriptions and even an official-looking plaque. Activists distributed copies of Szczęsny's leaflet and set up hundreds of candles.

Szczęsny was not involved in any political action by the Polish opposition. He lived in Niepołomice , a small town in southern Poland. The highly intelligent man was the father of two grown children who were busy doing their doctoral theses. His wife is a pharmacist. As he himself wrote in his flyer and what was also confirmed by his family, he suffered from depression for several years and was in psychiatric treatment.

In the Polish press, which paid a lot of attention to his case, he was only called "Piotr S." until November 2, 2017. Only then was his family name announced. His self-immolation sparked a wide debate among the Polish public.

Piotr Szczęsny stands in a tradition of self-immolation as a political protest, such as by Hartmut Gründler , Oskar Brüsewitz , Jan Palach , Thích Quảng Đức , Jan Zajíc or Ryszard Siwiec .

Piotr Szczęsny was buried on November 14, 2017 in the Kraków Salwator Cemetery in the presence of hundreds of mourners from all over Poland. The funeral speeches were given by the theologian Adam Boniecki and Auxiliary Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek .

On the evening of October 19, 2018, many Warsaw residents gathered in front of the Palace of Culture to commemorate the deed of Piotr Szczęsny.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ koe / AFP: Warsaw: Poles set fire to themselves in protest against government. In: Spiegel Online. October 20, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Paulina Piechna-Wieckiewicz: To list, który napisał Pan, który się podpalił dzisiaj pod PKiN, w nagraniu prosił żeby go rozpowszechniać tak też z @TomaszSybilski czynimy. In: twitter.com. October 19, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017 (Polish).
  3. ^ Sandra Wilk: Po śmierci Szarego Człowieka przed PKiN nie gasną znicze. In: polityka.pl. November 1, 2017, Retrieved November 4, 2017 (Polish).
  4. ^ Poland - Activists protest after a man self-immolated . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on November 5, 2017]).
  5. ↑ Marcin Wójcik: 'Usłyszcie mój krzyk'. O Piotrze S., który podpalił się pod Pałacem Kultury. In: wyborcza.pl. October 30, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017 (Polish).

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Commons : Piotr Szczęsny  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Szczęsny, Piotr
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish chemist
DATE OF BIRTH 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Białystok
DATE OF DEATH October 29, 2017
Place of death Warsaw