Police clear 62 protesters during eviction on Malta Estate in Poznan
Polish police forcibly cleared dozens of tenant rights activists and residents on Wednesday while executing a court-ordered eviction on Osiedle Maltanskie in Poznan.
Police intervention and blockade
On Wednesday, police officers in Poznan removed dozens of demonstrators attempting to block the eviction of Sandra Mayer and her 14-year-old child from Osiedle Maltanskie. The operation lasted nearly three hours and involved fourteen police vans, anti-conflict negotiators, and officers equipped with helmets and shields. Protesters sat before the property entrance with linked arms, staging resistance before police used physical force to clear a path for the bailiff and demolition workers armed with saws and wire cutters. Police identified 62 people at the scene and announced plans to submit court motions against all of them for the petty offense of obstructing enforcement actions. Two protesters lost consciousness during the intervention and received treatment from paramedics before 13:00.
Legal disputes over the property title
Mayer had lived in the house on parcel 75 for 33 years. Her legal representative, Marcin Czachor, contested the legality of the eviction and announced plans to file a formal complaint against the bailiff. Czachor argued that the underlying enforcement title is legally defective because it names the Parish of St. John of Jerusalem Outside the Walls, which sold the property earlier in the year.
Czachor questioned the legal foundation during the police operation.
I still maintain that, in my opinion, this enforcement title is defective. As I have already said, the clause names the Parish of St. John of Jerusalem, which actually no longer holds any title to this property.
Church land sale and development plans
The land dispute stems from the sale of approximately 12.2 hectares along Warszawska Street. In late January 2026, the local parish sold the plot to developer JHM Development, part of the Mirbud group, in a transaction valued at 421 million PLN. The developer plans to construct approximately 2,000 residential units across the former allotment gardens. Osiedle Maltanskie, which houses several hundred residents, is currently managed by the company Komandoria on behalf of church authorities. Komandoria legal counsel Jacek Masiota stated that the existing structures represent unpermitted construction that is unfit for permanent habitation.
- Church authorities notify residents to vacate Osiedle Maltanskie by the end of the year.
- Residents stage a protest challenging property claims and municipal tax collection.
- Parish sells 12.2 hectares of land to JHM Development for 421 million PLN.
- Police remove 62 protesters as a bailiff evicts a resident from parcel 75.
Conflicting relocation offers
Discussions regarding Mayer's departure collapsed prior to the operation. Mayer reported that representatives informed her of a 300,000 PLN debt for non-contractual property use and offered only twelve months in a workers' hostel, calling the outcome an eviction onto the street. In an act of desperation during the eviction, Mayer telephoned the parish priest, Pawel Deskur, who responded with the words "God be with you" before ending the call. Following the operation, Komandoria issued a statement denying that it offered a hostel, maintaining an offer to cover twelve months of rent for an apartment of Mayer's choice and provide administrative support for municipal housing applications.
Police spokesperson Andrzej Borowiak explained the legal necessity of the enforcement intervention.
The bailiff requested a police intervention on the basis of civil law provisions to enable the effective execution of this court ruling. In this situation, the police have an obligation to provide such assistance.
