Poznań police open inquiry into officer's chokehold on protester at Osiedle Maltańskie

The demolition at Osiedle Maltańskie

Workers arrived early on Wednesday, 28 October, at the hall at ul. Warszawska 82 in Poznań's Osiedle Maltańskie and began removing its windows on the property owner's instruction. The site's manager, the company Komandoria, said in a statement that it has carried out phased tidying works on the estate for many months, citing the poor condition of much of the buildings and infrastructure. Some residents fear eviction, and activists from the association 'Maltańskie Nasz Dom' argue the demolition is illegal and oppose the church's sale of the land to a developer. A representative of the residents said two court proceedings over the hall are pending and neither has concluded. Scuffles broke out between protesters and the crew, and police were called to the site.

The chokehold on camera

A TVP Info crew filming a live report recorded an officer pulling a protester off an excavator and then putting him in a chokehold. According to the footage, the man was not behaving aggressively and stood with his hands in his pockets when the officer approached him from behind. Residents gathered at the site shouted at the officer. Marcelina Zawisza, a Razem MP, posted the clip on X and called the officer's behaviour outrageous. In the same post she addressed Marcin Kierwiński about control over the police.

“Do you have control over what is happening in the police, or is it already a complete wild west and a state within a state?!”

Police account and the inquiry

On Wednesday, police spokesman Andrzej Borowiak said officers arriving at the site did not see any brawl and that their presence was limited to supervising those there. In an evening communiqué, police said a report of a brawl involving more than a dozen people had led to 19 people being checked. The same communiqué said a man climbed onto the excavator, ignored orders and was subjected to a restraining hold, and that he will be brought before a court as the accused in a petty offence case. On Thursday, 29 October, the Poznań police commander ordered explanatory proceedings against the intervening officer. Borowiak said of the use of force:

“The use of force must be in line with the law, with tactics and proportionate to the situation.”

The Control Unit of the Poznań City Police Headquarters will assess the officer's conduct and report its findings to the commander. The commander has not suspended the officer before those findings are known.

Burglary complaint and open questions

Separately, a resident reported a burglary at the hall, saying the entrance door may have been taken and that windows had been damaged. A forensic technician inspected the scene and photographs were taken. Police will decide by Monday, 2 November, whether to open an investigation, and are establishing whether the door was taken or simply left the premises. They are also working out who owns the windows and whether that owner will file a complaint. On Thursday, police were called back to the estate after a resident hired workers to help with a move and a neighbour disputed their presence. Everyone involved was checked, no one filed a complaint, and that intervention was closed.