Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz faces lawsuit after calling TVP Info journalist a courtesan

Confrontation at the Sejm entrance

On Wednesday, TVP Info parliamentary correspondent Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz approached Confederation party lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz as he walked toward the plenary chamber inside the Sejm complex in Warsaw. Dobrosz-Oracz attempted to conduct an on-camera interview, greeting the politician and asking whether he had ever served in the Polish military. The question related to recent statements regarding military service made by Confederation co-leader Sławomir Mentzen. Berkowicz initially refused to answer, stating that he did not have time because voting sessions were starting. When Dobrosz-Oracz repeated the question and noted that a simple yes-or-no answer would take only a second, the parliamentarian dismissed the exchange with an explicit insult before entering the voting floor.

Besides, I talk to journalists, not courtesans.

Lawsuit announced on national television

Dobrosz-Oracz responded immediately to the remark in the corridor, informing Berkowicz that his words were directly offensive and that she would file a civil lawsuit against him. The recorded exchange was broadcast later that evening on TVP Info during her programme "Bez trybu". In the studio, the reporter stated that the lawmaker, whose salary is funded by taxpayers, had crossed a boundary never previously breached in interactions with Polish journalists. Dobrosz-Oracz explained that while some politicians had previously directed derogatory insults such as "pig" or "stupid" toward reporters, terms she noted experiencing personally in past coverage, no public official had used that specific term.

You are insulting me and you will be sued.

Condemnation from government officials and parties

The broadcast prompted immediate reactions from Polish cabinet ministers and political parties across the governing coalition. Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka criticized Berkowicz on social media platform X, describing him as a boor. Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński condemned the lawmaker, linking the verbal attack to earlier controversies involving Mentzen and female police officers. The Polska 2050 party published a statement asserting that women are not training bags for political aggression and accused the Confederation party of misogyny. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, also commented on X, alluding to an earlier incident in which Berkowicz faced accusations of taking a frying pan and other items from an Ikea store.

Media commentary and ironic online apology

During the TVP Info broadcast, Onet deputy editor-in-chief Andrzej Stankiewicz condemned Berkowicz, characterizing him as lacking honor and citing the earlier retail theft controversy involving the unpaid household items. Stankiewicz argued that public insults directed at journalists cannot be tolerated and asserted that the lawmaker would not direct such language toward male colleagues.

You cannot insult people, you cannot call journalists names.

Following the televised segment and the widespread political reactions, Berkowicz addressed the controversy on X on Wednesday evening. Instead of issuing an apology to the TVP Info reporter, the Confederation lawmaker posted a sarcastic statement playing on Dobrosz-Oracz's phrasing about crossing boundaries.

I crossed an uncrossable boundary. I apologize to all courtesans.