The new Polish Liberal government will reexamine the European Union grant awarded to a controversial Catholic radio station, the press reported. According to Polska newspaper, Poland’s Environment Minister, Maciej Nowicki, is making a critical review of a 15,3 million euro EU grant to Radio Maryja, known for its anti-Semitic and anti-European opinions.
Nowicki reportedly hopes to find a reason to demand the radio station refund the entire amount.
The station, cosseted by the previous conservative government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, had been selected to receive the aid in order to develop its school of journalism.
Polish Minister of Science, Barbara Kudrycka, has recommended to the ministry of the regional Development, which manages the European funds, to abolish the list of around thirty projects awarded and instead to organize a competition, a spokeswoman of the ministry said.
Only two big projects exceeding each 50 million euro, for the universities of Warsaw and Gdansk, remain unchanged because they were already approved by the EU.
Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, founder and manager of Radio Maryja, vigorously criticized the minister on the radio.
"It is a behaviour which reminds of the totalitarian methods of a power of occupation,” the head of Radio Maryja, which claims more than three million regular listeners, said
"A minister responsible for the Polish youth does not act like this. Otherwise, he is irresponsible or, worse, he carries out perhaps orders from outside,” he added.
Based in Torun, in the north of the country, Radio Maryja broadcasts regularly nationalist and anti-Semitic opinion. It also has a national daily, Nasz Dziennik, and a tv station, Trwam.
Father Rydzyk offered to finance with European help the construction of a new building of his school, sheltering a faculty of computer science with ultramodern laboratories, for a total amount of 18 million euro.
When he introduced his demand of European funds last spring, he called his school an “ incubator of modern technologies to benefit a civic society.”
Before Poland joined the EU in 2004, Radio Maryja had campaigned against the membership, accusing the EU of "moral relativism" which spreads euthanasia, abortion and homosexuality.
The radio is known for its outspoken editorial stands on political issues. Prior to the 2005 parliamentary elections, the station encouraged listeners to vote for the Law and Justice Party which was unseated in last October elections by the new Civil Platform majority, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
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