On Tuesday, a Warsaw district court ruled that Poland’s former justice minister and prosecutor general Zbigniew Ziobro must apologize to Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland for his comments on “Green Border.”
Holland filed the lawsuit in September 2023 after Ziobro wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “In the Third Reich, the Germans made propaganda films depicting Poles as bandits and murderers. Today they have Agnieszka Holland for that.”
Other prominent politicians, including then-President Andrzej Duda, also criticized the controversial “green border”, causing the Netherlands to fear for its own safety.
The court ordered Ziobro to issue a statement stating the following: “I, Zbigniew Ziobro, apologize for repeatedly violating Agnieszka Holland and her personal rights, in particular her name, honor, personal dignity and artistic work, by comparing her and the film she directed, Green Border, with the activities of propagandists of the Third Reich, Stalinism and other criminal regimes, accusing them of moral crimes, and using other shameful expressions and means.” Defamatory expressions. ”
This award-winning film depicts the refugee crisis stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland. It won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
“It was a great day for many people in Poland!” Holland told Variety.
“We filed this lawsuit because we believe that no one should quietly endure aggression and hatred from those in power. Zbigniew Ziobro is a politician who has destroyed Polish law and the lives of many innocent people. Politicians like him are convinced that they are impunity and believe that the law does not apply to them. They are pests of democracy.”
He added: “We wanted to show people that we will not give in, that inciting hatred against citizens will not be tolerated and that it is possible to win, at least symbolically, even against the mafia in power.”
According to Holland, “What matters most in this difficult world is a message of courage, solidarity and justice.”
“Let us stand up for our rights without fear, and regardless of the consequences, this is how we interpret the importance of this judgment. We also know that in the times we live in, it is the duty of those with even the slightest power not to give in to oppression. Our legal work and the content of the judgment gives hope to many people, and that is why it is important.”
In an interview with Variety magazine at the 2023 Italian Festival, Holland described the attack as “defamation” and announced that he would take legal action, claiming the comments amounted to “hate speech”.
“He wasn’t even talking about a movie he hadn’t seen yet. He was talking about me. He was saying that the Nazis had hired Goebbels to do anti-Polish propaganda, and now they have Agnieszka Holland. Even for that (ruling) party, that was too much,” she said.
“Accusing me of being a Nazi is a bit vulgar, especially when it comes to my personal story of being the grandson of Holocaust victims and the daughter of a woman who was a fighter in the Warsaw Uprising.”
The legendary director, who has always been politically outspoken, recently made “Franz,” about Franz Kafka, and is currently working on “Rabbit Garden,” about notorious author Jerzy Kosinski, known for “The Painted Bird” and “Being There.”
Ziobro must also donate 50,000 zlotys to the Polish Association of Holocaust Children.
It’s a further setback for the right-wing politician, who has already been charged with embezzling millions of dollars and authorizing the purchase of spyware that was allegedly used to hack the cellphones of political opponents. He has fled Poland and Hungary has granted him political asylum.
“Mr. Ziobro was a figurehead of the old government for lies, hatred and propaganda. The fact that he sought political asylum in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary after being accused of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of office related to his time as head of the Ministry of Justice speaks volumes,” said Mike Downey, one of the producers of “Green Border” and former president of the European Film Academy.
“‘Green Border’ is an investigation of fraud and terrorism committed by Polish border guards between Poland and Belarus. Told from the perspectives of refugees, activists, and border guards, it presents a frightening portrait of the right-wing, anti-immigrant Polish government’s response to the refugee crisis.”
He added: “The hatred orchestrated by the highest Polish authorities only proves how important and true the ‘Green Border’ protests were.”
