2026-04-04 18:00
publication
2026-04-04 18:00
A Warsaw court found guilty the Last Generation activists accused of throwing paint on the Mermaid Monument. He sentenced them to 6 months of restriction of liberty, consisting of 30 hours of unpaid community service per month. He also ordered them to pay compensation in the amount of PLN 33,000. zloty.
Friday's judgment of the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście is invalid. In addition to community service and compensation in the amount of PLN 3,000. PLN for the National Fund for the Protection of Monuments and PLN 30,000. PLN to the Capital City of Warsaw, the court also ordered the activists to cover court costs in the amount of PLN 1,000. zloty.
In the oral justification, Judge Marcin Kowal emphasized that the defendants had exhausted the statutory criteria of the crime. He also drew attention to the special aspect related to monuments and their protection. – They have symbolic value and convey historical values - said the judge.
He noted that in the case of the activists, the monument was damaged and its condition deteriorated as a result of being poured with paint. He added that the city had tried to clean the monument using traditional methods, but they had no effect. Only the development of a conservation program made it possible to remove the dirt that had arisen. – The Mermaid Monument is a monument and symbol of Warsaw. (…) It is an element of shaping the awareness and pride of the people of Warsaw – emphasized the judge.
He noted that the Act on the Protection of Monuments protects all objects, even those that are not entered in the register but meet the standards contained in the Act. – The defendants were fully aware of the object they were taking action against – said the court. He also noted that the activists provided very extensive explanations about the monument, so it is difficult for them not to be aware that it is a monument.
The judge noted that the issue of freedom of speech was presented clearly by the activists' defenders.
– Neither freedom of speech nor freedom of opinions is shaped in an absolute manner. (…) The limits are determined by the rights and freedoms of other people, including the use of cultural goods, said the judge.
He also raised the issue of whether the defendants achieved their intended goal, i.e. contributed positively to reflection on the issue of climate protection. – You're screaming so hard I can't hear what you're saying. These words can be related to the behavior of the defendants, the judge emphasized. He also pointed out that this type of behavior cannot be allowed.
Referring to the penalty, he emphasized that it was adequate and obligatory. The court assessed that the monument was damaged, but the damage could not be precisely estimated.
After the verdict was announced, one of the activists said she did not regret her actions. – I don't think we committed a crime. The court's explanations were absurd (…). The fact that this mermaid monument has some value shows that it can carry many other symbols, she said.
The activists' defenders announced an appeal.
– We do not agree with the content of this judgment. We will try to convince the court of second instance to change this decision, said attorney Radosław Baszuk.
The flooding of the Mermaid Monument took place in March 2024 on General Patton Boulevard. According to the indictment, two Last Generation activists damaged the mermaid sculpture, the fountain basin and the plinth by pouring orange paint on the 1938 Mermaid Monument. The monument is entered in the register of monuments of the province. Masovian Voivodeship.
The prosecutor's office emphasized that the women's actions caused losses worth a total of PLN 361,607.36. She noted that the amount was calculated on the basis of the position of the Masovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments and the opinion of an expert in the field of stonemasonry, as well as the entity responsible for the care and conservation of the sculpture.
The trial in this case started in May 2025 (PAP)
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