Piotr Grzegorz Farfał (born 18 May 1978 in Głogów) is a Polish rightwing politician of the League of Polish Families and former President of the Polish national TV network TVP. [1]
Farfał studied law at the University of Szczecin and at the College of Banking in Wrocław. He was active in the nationalist All-Polish Youth and the National Revival of Poland. [2] [3] As a student he wrote for the right-wing newspapers "Front" and "Szczerbiec" (The Sword). [1] However, when the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza described him as a "former neo-Nazi", Farfał sued, only to have his lawsuit thrown out by a local court. [4]
In May 2006 Farfał became a supervisory board member and vice-president of the state-run TV network TVP, [1] and was appointed president in December 2008. After assuming office he cancelled a contract financing the biopic The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, on the life of Irena Sendler who had helped save thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust. [3] In protest the French-German TV network Arte suspended cooperation with TVP, [3] considering Farfał's views "incompatible with Arte’s philosophy based on intercultural exchange", [5] and stating that "the party that TVP's chairman is presently connected with does not share European values." [6]
A number of Polish public media figures, including film directors Agnieszka Holland and Andrzej Wajda, subsequently appealed to the public to boycott TVP on Polish Constitution day, 3 May 2009. [3] [7] [8]
Piotr Grzegorz Farfał (born 18 May 1978 in Głogów) is a Polish rightwing politician of the League of Polish Families and former President of the Polish national TV network TVP. [1]
Farfał studied law at the University of Szczecin and at the College of Banking in Wrocław. He was active in the nationalist All-Polish Youth and the National Revival of Poland. [2] [3] As a student he wrote for the right-wing newspapers "Front" and "Szczerbiec" (The Sword). [1] However, when the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza described him as a "former neo-Nazi", Farfał sued, only to have his lawsuit thrown out by a local court. [4]
In May 2006 Farfał became a supervisory board member and vice-president of the state-run TV network TVP, [1] and was appointed president in December 2008. After assuming office he cancelled a contract financing the biopic The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, on the life of Irena Sendler who had helped save thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust. [3] In protest the French-German TV network Arte suspended cooperation with TVP, [3] considering Farfał's views "incompatible with Arte’s philosophy based on intercultural exchange", [5] and stating that "the party that TVP's chairman is presently connected with does not share European values." [6]
A number of Polish public media figures, including film directors Agnieszka Holland and Andrzej Wajda, subsequently appealed to the public to boycott TVP on Polish Constitution day, 3 May 2009. [3] [7] [8]