Over half of Poles criticise TV Republika's coverage of Krakow attack
An SW Research poll for rp.pl shows that 53.7 per cent of Poles negatively assess the way TV Republika reported the attack on the Main Market Square. Editor-in-chief Tomasz Sakiewicz made several controversial statements immediately after the incident.
Over half of Poles criticise TV Republika's coverage of Krakow attack
An SW Research poll for rp.pl found that 53.7 per cent of respondents negatively assessed the manner in which TV Republika reported the attack on the Main Market Square in Krakow on 7 November. Only 14.5 per cent of those surveyed assessed the coverage positively, whilst 10.5 per cent had no opinion. Of those surveyed, 21.4 per cent said they did not follow how the station's coverage unfolded.
On 7 November, 24-year-old Michał Oksiński drove a car onto Krakow's Main Market Square and opened fire with an AR-15 rifle at random people. The attack resulted in the deaths of six people, with 15 wounded. Two police officers – Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański – neutralised the attacker in an exchange of gunfire, both sustaining serious injuries themselves. Oksiński died in hospital on 9 November.
TV Republika Editor-in-Chief Tomasz Sakiewicz was on the Main Market Square at the time of the attack and immediately began reporting events on the air of the station he leads. His statements sparked numerous controversies. Sakiewicz stated, among other things, that "there is no police at the scene because all police reserves have presumably been taken to Warsaw" – suggesting that officers had been deployed to protect the Constitutional Tribunal headquarters. This claim proved inaccurate: police officers engaged in an exchange of fire with Oksiński just three minutes after receiving notification, and a uniformed police officer in civilian clothes was also present at the scene.
During his coverage, Sakiewicz also said that "it is known that some foreigners took part in this". However, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Krakow stated that the perpetrator was a Polish citizen acting alone.
Negative assessments were more frequently expressed by people over 50 years of age (59 per cent), respondents with higher education (58 per cent), people with incomes of 5,001–7,000 Polish zloty net (62 per cent), and residents of cities with populations of 200,000–499,000 (66 per cent), according to analysis by Piotr Zimołzak, vice president of SW Research.
On 12 November, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Krakow initiated an investigation under Article 212, Paragraph 2 (defamation via mass media) and Article 257, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code (public insult of a group of people on account of national, ethnic, racial or religious affiliation). The first provision carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, the second – three years.
In connection with TV Republika's coverage, the National Broadcasting Council initiated explanatory proceedings. Complaints against the station were filed by police trade unions. Three companies withdrew advertisements from TV Republika: RTV Euro AGD suspended the broadcast of spots, as did Mastercard and Chinese automotive company Chery.
The SW Research poll was conducted among 800 internet users over 18 years of age on 10–12 November 2026. The sample was selected using random quota sampling and adjusted with analytical weighting according to the demographic structure of the Polish adult population.
Source: Onet