On Tuesday, the regional court in Warsaw ruled that former Polish Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro must apologize to Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland for his statements about “Green Border.”
Holland filed a lawsuit against Ziobro back in September 2023 after he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): “In the Third Reich, the Germans produced propaganda films showing 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,” leading Holland to fear for her safety.
The court ordered Ziobro to publish a statement with the following content: “I, Zbigniew Ziobro, apologize to Agnieszka Holland for repeatedly violating her personal rights, in particular her name, honor, personal dignity, and artistic work by comparing her, and the film ‘Green Border’ directed by her, to the activities of propagandists of the Third Reich and Stalinism and other criminal regimes, by accusing her of moral crimes and using other disgraceful and stigmatizing expressions.”
The award-winning film depicts the crisis among refugees who were stranded on the Belarus-Poland border. It won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
“This made the day for many people in Poland!,” Holland told Variety.
“We have filed this lawsuit because we believe that we must not meekly endure the aggression and hatred coming from those in power. Zbigniew Ziobro is a politician who has destroyed Polish legislation and the lives of many innocent people. Politicians like him are certain of their impunity; they believe the law does not apply to them. They are pests of democracy.”
She added: “We wanted to show people that we will not give in, that there is no tolerance for inciting hatred against citizens, that it is possible to win — at least symbolically — even against the mafia in power.”
According to Holland, “the most important thing in this difficult world is the message of courage, solidarity, and justice.”
“Let us not be afraid to defend our rights. And regardless of the consequences, this is how we interpret the significance of this ruling. I also know that in the era in which we live, it is the duty of people who have even the slightest authority not to give in to oppression. Our legal initiative and the content of the ruling have given hope to many people, and that is what matters.”
Speaking to Variety at the Italian festival in 2023, Holland described the attack as “defamation” and revealed she was taking legal action, claiming the comments constituted “hate speech.”
“What he said wasn’t even against a film he hasn’t seen; he was talking about me. He was saying that the Nazis had Goebbels to make anti-Polish propaganda, and now they have Agnieszka Holland. It was over-the-top, even for that [ruling] party,” she said.
“To accuse me of being a Nazi, it’s a little indecent. Especially with my personal story, being the grandchild of Holocaust victims, and the daughter of a woman who was a Warsaw Uprising fighter.”
The legendary director, always politically outspoken, recently made “Franz” about Franz Kafka and is currently working on “Rabbit Garden” about the infamous writer Jerzy Kosiński, known for “The Painted Bird” and “Being There.”
Ziobro must also donate 50,000 PLN to the Association of the Children of the Holocaust in Poland.
This is another setback for the right-wing politician, who is already facing charges of embezzling millions and authorizing the purchase of spyware that was allegedly used to hack the phones of political opponents. He has fled Poland, and Hungary has granted him political asylum.
“Ziobro was the former government’s poster boy for its lies, hate and propaganda. The fact that he sought political asylum in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary after being accused of corruption, embezzlement, and abuse of power in connection with his time as head of the justice ministry speaks volumes,” said Mike Downey, one of “Green Border” producers and former Chairman of the European Film Academy.
“‘Green Border’ is an exploration of the injustice and terror carried out by Polish border guards between Poland and Belarus. It was seen from the perspective of refugees, activists and border guards, and presented a damning portrait of the right-wing, anti-migrant Polish government’s response to the refugee crisis.”
He added: “The orchestrated hatred organized by the highest Polish officials proves only how significant and true a protest ‘Green Border’ was – and is.”
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