Two men charged after hitting Poznań mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak with cream cake during council session; face up to three years in prison
Two men, aged 40 and 22, were charged with insulting a public official and violating bodily integrity after throwing a cream cake at Poznań mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak during Tuesday's city council session. The act, classified as hooligan misconduct, carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
The incident
On Tuesday, 16 June, during a Poznań City Council session where mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak was to receive a vote of confidence, a group of protesters entered the chamber. One man, later identified as 40-year-old Kamil S., threw a cream cake directly at the mayor’s face.
This is a vote of no confidence from Poznań residents for President Jaśkowiak. This is what you deserve today.
The session was briefly suspended, and the two men were subdued by city guards.
Legal consequences
On Wednesday, police spokesman Andrzej Borowiak announced that both detainees had been charged. The 40-year-old faces counts of insulting a public official and violating bodily integrity, while a 22-year-old, Patryk Sz., was charged with aiding the act. The crime was classified as hooligan mischief, raising the minimum penalty by half.
One of them was charged with active assault and violation of bodily integrity of a public official, and insulting the mayor of Poznań. The second man is charged with aiding in this crime.
Prosecutors requested a ban on approaching the city hall and officials, plus police supervision. The men face up to three years in prison, but are expected to be released after procedural formalities.
Motives and anarchist group
The attackers are members of the Poznań branch of the Anarchist Federation. In a statement, the group said the cake throw was a reaction to "the brutality of President Jaśkowiak towards the poorest residents". They characterised the act as "humour instead of violence" and a form of civil disobedience.
We use humor instead of violence. Today's action was an act of civil disobedience. Its aim was to draw attention to problems that have been ignored by city authorities for years.
The protest specifically opposed the sale of communal housing on Osiedle Maltańskie to a private developer, and broader housing policies.
Reactions
Mayor Jaśkowiak called the attackers "riffraff" and the act "a crossing of all boundaries". He noted he had received threats before and was not surprised. Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski strongly condemned physical aggression, stating that political criticism should never involve violence. The Union of Polish Cities issued a statement condemning all acts of violence against local officials. Despite the disruption, the council later granted Jaśkowiak its vote of confidence.
Aftermath
The mayor’s suit was cleaned at a dry cleaner in Poznań; removal of the cream stains was successful, at a cost of 60–80 złoty. Police assured they are ready to intervene if needed.
