RTV Euro AGD pulls TV Republika ads over its Kraków attack coverage

The attack on the Main Market Square

On Saturday, 7 November, a masked 24-year-old drove a car onto the Main Market Square in Kraków shortly after 15:00 and opened fire on random people. He was detained after an exchange of fire with police near the intersection of Dietla and Stradomska streets. Police said city guards reached the scene two minutes after the emergency report and that officers intervened in the third minute. Emergency medical teams arrived after four minutes, and the first State Fire Service units arrived in the sixth minute.

1. Minute 2City guards arrive on scene, two minutes after the emergency report
2. Minute 3Police officers intervene
3. Minute 4Emergency medical teams arrive
4. Minute 6First State Fire Service units arrive

Sakiewicz's account from the square

Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of TV Republika, was among the first journalists to report live from the square. Speaking to the camera, he asked where the police were and argued that not a single uniformed officer was present because all police reserves had been taken to Warsaw. In his X post on Saturday he wrote that only one technician from the police criminal section was within sight and camera range, securing the ground near one of the victims. He also said the scene mainly showed city guards and ambulance crews, and that he could not honestly tell viewers anything else. The police timeline contrasts sharply with his account of an empty square.

The advertiser's withdrawal

RTV Euro AGD, a Polish retail chain selling consumer electronics and household appliances, announced on X that it has stopped its advertising on TV Republika. It cited controversy over how the station reported the tragic events in Kraków. The company said the shutdown of online ads began on Sunday, 8 November, and was completed on Monday, 9 November, while the withdrawal of its television ads was still under way. It added that it does not identify with the views or editorial content of individual broadcasters, and that its channel choices are under ongoing review, including image considerations. It is not the first advertiser to leave the station, and the company framed its decision around consistency with its values.

“We want our advertising activities to be consistent with the values we follow as a company.”

Sakiewicz's response and the boycott call

Sakiewicz responded on X, saying the company had joined what he called Belarusian standards of intimidating journalists who covered events on the Kraków market square. He called for a total boycott of the firm and wrote that the free market cannot tolerate the destruction of freedom of speech. He argued that personal safety was also at stake, which he linked to the powerlessness of the authorities in the face of terrorism. He shared a graphic reading I do not buy from RTV EURO AGD. The appeal he made is the sharpest statement in the dispute so far.

“I appeal for a total boycott of this company, the return of goods already ordered, and conversations with neighbours and friends about the harm of using this network.”

The retailer's statement said its television withdrawal was not yet complete when it was issued.