Violent reactions in Poland after nationalist MEP praises ICE killings in Minneapolis

A Polish nationalist MEP has caused an uproar in his country after he published videos of the killing of two American citizens in the city of Minneapolis by anti-immigration police and said that ICE agents did “a good job”, reports AFP.

“Good job ICE!” Dominik Tarczynski wrote on his X account, hours after another American citizen — Alex Pretti, 37 — was fatally shot during a protest against ICE operations in Minneapolis.

Less than three weeks ago, another person – Renee Good, also 37 – was also fatally shot by ICE.

Elected from the Law and Justice party (PiS), Dominik Tarczynski is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament. He did the same, using the same terms, after Renee Good's death.

The Polish Minister of Justice, who also holds the position of Attorney General, Waldemar Zurek, declared on Monday that he was “horrified” and “stunned” by the MEP's comments, but also by the US anti-immigration police operations.

Roman Giertych, an MP from the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, announced that he planned to refer the matter to the judiciary, considering Tarczynski's statements an “apology of crime”.

Even some members of the MEP's party denounced his statements. “An inexcusable message,” said Janusz Cieszynski, a member of PiS, the nationalist-conservative party that ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023.

Abroad, French MEP Manon Aubry (from the La France Insoumise – LFI party) asked ECR group vice-president Marion Maréchal to comment on the statements of his Polish colleague.

“Fascism has its faces in Europe too,” wrote Manon Aubry in a post on X.

Marion Maréchal, elected under the banner of the Reconquête party before leaving Éric Zemmour's formation to rejoin the RN (Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen's party), on Monday described the death of the two people killed by ICE in Minneapolis as “unfortunate accidents”.