Paweł Adamowicz - Mayor of Gdańsk, city in northern Poland - died in hospital on Monday, 14th of January from wounds suffered in a Sunday evening knife attack during a nationwide charity, called The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, gale in Gdańsk.
The news about death of Adamowicz was announced by medical head at the city’s Medical University Clinic, where he was hospitalised after the attack, and confirmed by Minister of Health. On Sunday night he underwent 5 hours long operation and after that doctors said his condition was very unstable.
Later on Monday President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, announced that the day of Adamowicz funeral will be a day of national mourning. The mourning began on Friday, 18th of January at 5 PM and ended day later at 7 PM. President also spoke of his proposal to organise a march against violence and hatred in Gdańsk, which he presented at a meeting with politics shortly before Adamowicz’s death.
Adamowicz is a victim of hate towards political party he belonged to, the Platforma Obywatelska.
Around 45.000 people attended the funeral in Gdańsk, and many more watched the ceremony on public screens. There were a lot of politicians, including President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, ex-Presidents Lech Wałęsa, Bronisław Komorowski and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, European Council head Donald Tusk, MPs’, ambassadors and many others. Adamowicz was mourned by his closest family. The urn contaminating his ashes was intered in the St. Martin’s Chapel of St. Mary’s Basilica.
Recent events in Poland have shaken not only the whole country, but also the countries abroad. The mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk, Paweł Adamowicz, passed away a day after being stabbed by a man who rushed the stage during the most recognizable charity event in Poland, the final of Great Orchestra of Christmas charity. According to Onet.pl, after that the man was proudly screaming ‘Adamowicz is dead!’ and accusing one of the leading political party in Poland, the Civic Platform, of imprisoning and torturing him despite the fact that, as he said, he was innocent. The mayor was transported to the local hospital. Doctors have been fighting for his life for five hours, but wounds were too severe. Adamowicz was one of Poland's longest-serving mayors, holding his position in Gdansk since 1998. There were 3,500 mourners gathered inside the 500-year-old Gothic cathedral during the mayor’s funeral. Police said that some 45,000 people attended and watched the memorial service on huge screens on the city streets.
~ Anna
I was shocked when I heard that Paweł Adamowicz - the president of Gdańsk had died. For me the blame of the death rests on the bodyguards. They should be professionalists not young unexperienced students. They ought to react when the killer came on the stage. The psychopath had even time to attack Paweł Adamowicz with the knife several times. I can't find the answer how it was possible. The murderer is going to be checked by mental tests. In my opinion the tests shouldn't influence on the judge's decision and he will be arrested. It's very unjust when an innocent person dies because of mad killer. I hope that this tragic situation will raise people's awareness and only professional bodyguards will be employed especially on big events. It's also sad that Polish politicians have the same point of view only when something bad happens but I find it appropriate that they are not accusing each other.
~Adam
When I heard that president of Gdańsk was assassinated during the 27 final of WOŚP in our country I felt so ruined. He was a good politician. He got severly wounded with a knife by a man on the stage. It was recorded by the biggest TV station in whole country. Gazeta.pl wrote an article about Paweł Adamowicz. They explained his whole political history and his accomplishments. I feel so shattered to hear that good people like him are leaving this world contravitional.
~Jan
A few days ago, a horrible event took place in our country - the President of Gdańsk was stabbed to death. As the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza informs, Mr Adamowicz was attacked on stage in front of hundreds of people while attending the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity - an annual event where volunteers collect money for medical equipment in hospitals. The attacker reportedly grabbed a microphone and told the crowd he had previously been wrongly imprisoned. Police arrested the man under suspicion of murder. Unfortunately the President of Gdańsk died the next day due to injuries after the attack. The President of Poland described the attack as an "evil hard to imagine" and later introduced a one-day national mourning.
~Marzena
What happened in Gdańsk on 13th January was an act of unspeakable cruelty and hate. President Paweł Adamowicz has been murdered in the most brutal way by an awful human being who had no right to take such actions. Not only did it disturb a cheerful and important event which is The Grate Orchestra Of Christmas Charity, but ended an amazing career dedicated to improving peoples lives and changing Gdańsk for better. I hope that this accident will teach us all that aggression is never the answer.
Polskieradio.pl in its article reported step by step what had happened in Gdańsk that night. They described the attacker and a short speech that he gave after the attack. They informed about the motives and reasons for the assault. The victim was later transported to the hospital where the doctors carried an operation which sadly ended in presidents death.
~ Zuzanna