Polish Sejm Deputy Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty said he would refer an incident involving lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz’s insult of journalist Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz to the ethics committee. The journalist said she would also take legal action.
The incident took place in parliament when Dobrosz-Oracz asked Berkowicz, a member of the Confederation party, about earlier remarks. Gazeta.pl reported that he called her a “courtesan” and said he had nothing to discuss with her.
Czarzasty condemned the lawmaker’s conduct and said he would ask the ethics committee to impose the maximum penalty allowed. He also plans to raise the matter at the next meeting of the Sejm’s presidium.
Confederation leader Sławomir Mentzen said Berkowicz had gone too far and should not have used those words. Mentzen also called the journalist a propagandist and said she harmed public debate. Dobrosz-Oracz announced she would pursue legal action and file a lawsuit.