Polish authorities backtrack on claim Krakow shooter was 'far-right'

After a deadly mass shooting in Krakow on Saturday, Polish government officials alleged that the killer was "far-right." As they shared this narrative, they "ordered the immediate deletion of the Facebook account of the killer," said Spanish VOX party member Hermann Tertsch. Now, Polish prosecutors have said that there is no evidence that shooter Michal Oksinski was far-right at all. The suspect was shot by police then arrested, but later died from his injuries.

As the government backtracked from the assertion that the man was far-right, government spokesman Adam Szlapka told news that "Until the matter is fully clarified and the authorities are in possession of complete information, it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications."

In a press conference, prosecutors said they did not know why Oksinski opened fire. He had also left family members shot to death before starting on his rampage through the Krakow market square. Poland's Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński was asked about the early assumptions.

This is his reply via AI translation: "But I also said at the same time that this would require verification. I know that this stirs up a terribly large amount of emotion, mainly on that right-hand side, the right-wing side of politics, and it is not my intention here to be stirring up any emotions. All of this has to be checked thoroughly. Three statements like that — everything indicates the perpetrator acted alone and held very radical views. Everything indicates he was fascinated by far-right ideologies, though that will be subject to checks."

When pressed on the matter by the reporter for TVN24, Kierwiński said, per AI translation, "In cases like this, initial hypotheses always come up. There is always initial information and there are always initial leads. And that is precisely why I made the statement that I made. However… As I said, these are things that are now being checked by the police, along with the evidence the police have in their possession. I am not going to elaborate on that any further right now."

Tersch shared screenshots that have been circulating and purported to be from Oksinski's Facebook showing him with Pride flags and a gas mask. Tersch said in his post:

"Donald Tusk's government ordered the immediate deletion of the Facebook account of the killer who yesterday killed six people and injured 15 in Krakow's main square after murdering his family at home. Because his Facebook account destroys all their attempts yesterday to portray him as 'far-right' and suggest ties to the patriotic, conservative and patriotic forces that, led by Head of State Karol Nawrocki, are resisting the coup attempts by Tusk's government, backed by the European Commission and the German government.

"Donald Tusk is lying, once again. As a liar, he almost matches Pedro Sánchez, another protégé of Von der Leyen.

"Killing his own family and then killing fellow citizens indiscriminately doesn't really fit a Polish far-right extremist, no matter how extreme he is.

"But what definitively rules out his being right-wing is his Facebook account. There, he presents himself with a sexually ambiguous aesthetic and a gay flag, confirms the fondness for dressing up and painting his nails that those who knew him talk about, and mocks the saintly Pope John Paul II."

On Saturday, a man drove onto the square and began "firing at random people from his car." Four women and two men were killed, including citizens from Britain, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria. Two police officers remain hospitalized. Authorities said he was wearing “military-style attire.” Prior to opening fire in the square, he had murdered his family, including his parents, sister, and even their cats. The shooting took place on the same day as patriotic rallies which followed the attempted coup of the highest court in Poland.