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Paweł Adamowicz

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Paweł Adamowicz
Mayor of Gdańsk
In office
26 October 1998 – 14 January 2019
Preceded byTomasz Posadzki
Succeeded byAleksandra Dulkiewicz (acting)
Personal details
Born
Paweł Bogdan Adamowicz

(1965-11-02)2 November 1965
Gdańsk, People's Republic of Poland
Died14 January 2019(2019-01-14) (aged 53)
Gdańsk, Poland
Manner of deathAssassination by stabbing
Political partyIndependent (2015–2019)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal Democratic Congress (1990–1994)
Conservative Party (1994–1997)
Conservative People's Party (1997–2001)
Civic Platform (2001–2015)
SpouseMagdalena Abramska (m. 1999)
Children2

Paweł Bogdan Adamowicz ([ˈpavɛw ˈbɔɡdan adaˈmɔvʲit͡ʂ], 2 November 1965 – 14 January 2019) was a Polish politician and lawyer who served as Mayor of the city of Gdańsk, Pomeranian Voivodeship, from 1998 until his assassination in 2019.

He was one of the organizers of the 1988 strike, becoming the head of the strike committee.

Before becoming mayor, in 1990 Adamowicz was elected a member of the City Council in Gdańsk, chairing the council from 1994 in his second term, and holding this post until 1998.[1] He was elected mayor in 1998, and on 10 November 2002 he was re-elected gaining 72% of votes.[2] In 2018, he was re-elected as an Independent.[3]

On 13 January 2019, Adamowicz was stabbed during a live charity event in Gdańsk. He died the following day from injuries sustained in the assassination at the age of 53.

Life and career

Adamowicz was born in Gdańsk into a middle-class family. His parents Ryszard and Teresa were Polish economists, who were resettled to Poland from Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, in 1946.[4] He studied law at the University of Gdańsk, where he also became a prominent student movement member. He was one of the organizers of the 1988 strike becoming the head of the strike committee.[5] Between 1990 and 1993, he served as a vice-rector for student affairs at his alma mater.[1][6]

In 1990, Adamowicz was elected a member of the City Council in Gdańsk, chairing the council from 1994 in his second term, and holding this post until 1998, when he was elected the Mayor of Gdańsk.[1] On 10 November 2002 he was re-elected gaining 72% of votes.[7]

He was awarded with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Golden Cross by Pope John Paul II, and with the Cross of Merit in 2003 by the President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.[8] In 2014, he also became the recipient of the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity to honour his contributions on behalf of Polish democracy.[9]

In 2018, he provided honorary patronage over the 4th Gdańsk Gay Pride Parade in which he personally participated.[10]

In November 2018, Adamowicz ran as an independent for the office of Mayor of Gdańsk, being re-elected for a sixth term, while being endorsed by the Civic Platform and remaining a vocal critic of the ruling Law and Justice party. The term was due to last until 2023.[3]

Personal life

In 1999, Adamowicz married Magdalena Abramska, a law student at Gdańsk University whom he met there. She later became a professor of law at the University. They had two daughters, Antonina (born 2003) and Teresa (born 2010).[3][11]

Assassination

Demonstration against violence in Warsaw following the assassination of Adamowicz

On 13 January 2019, Adamowicz was stabbed in the heart on stage at the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity event in Gdańsk and was taken in critical condition to hospital, where he underwent five hours of surgery for wounds to his heart and internal organs.[12] He died the following day.[13][14] The assassin was apprehended at the scene of the crime. A Gdańsk police spokesman said the detained man was a 27-year-old who lived in the city, named as Stefan W. by the Gdańsk prosecutor's office,[15] with a police spokesperson stating that the man has a "long criminal history", including bank robbery and an attack on a police officer.[16] After stabbing the mayor, he seized the microphone and claimed to have been wrongly jailed by the previous centrist government of the Civic Platform (PO) and tortured.[17][18] The assault was captured on video.[19]

Reactions

On Monday 14 January, thousands attended vigils across Poland to pay their respects to Adamowicz. President Andrzej Duda described the attack as "evil hard to imagine", and stated that the day of Adamowicz's funeral will be observed as a day of national mourning. Interior Minister Joachim Brudziński described the attack as "an act of inexplicable barbarism" and, on Twitter, EU Council President Donald Tusk said, "Paweł Adamowicz, Mayor of Gdańsk, a man of Solidarity and freedom, a European, my good friend, has been murdered. May he rest in peace."[16] Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission expressed "great sadness" and offered his "deepest condolences" on behalf of the European Commission.[20] The European Parliament held a minute of silence to honour Adamowicz, with President Antonio Tajani speaking of the mayor's "closeness to the people" and "ability to listen."[21] Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London described the attack as "Devastating violence... for all of us who value public service and open, accessible democracy".[22]

Anton Alikhanov, the governor of the neighbouring Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, expressed his condolences, calling Adamowicz "our great friend" and proclaiming a minute of silence in memory of his passing.[23][24] Adamowicz's wife Magdalena, who was in London at the time of the assassination, was flown back to Poland by the Polish government in order to mourn the loss of her husband.[3]

Selected awards

References

  1. ^ a b c "ULI Belgium Annual Conference" (PDF). Urban Land Institute. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Padły bastiony Sojuszu". Gazeta Wyborcza. 12 November 2002. Archived from the original (fee required) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Who was Pawel Adamowicz?". 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. ^ Wiktor Ferfecki (14 January 2019). "Prezydent Gdańska Paweł Adamowicz nie żyje". Rzeczpospolita. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. ^ Friszke, Andrzej (2006). Solidarność podziemna 1981-1989. Instytut Studiów Politycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk. p. 261. ISBN 978-83-88490-45-3.
  6. ^ "Paweł Adamowicz życiorys dzieci rodzina – prezydent kadencja". Paweł Adamowicz (in Polish). Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Padły bastiony Sojuszu". Gazeta Wyborcza. 12 November 2002. Archived from the original (fee required) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c "Gdańsk – the official site of the city". 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Notable Deaths – The mayor of Gdansk, Poland, has been assassinated at a charity event". Legacy.com. 14 January 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ "26 maja ulicami Gdańska przejdzie Marsz Równości". Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "A 'friend of Jews,' Polish mayor dies after stabbing attack - Diaspora - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Wyborcza.pl". trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  13. ^ Plucinska, Joanna (14 January 2019). "Mayor of Gdansk dies after stabbing – doctor's statement". Reuters. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  14. ^ Davies, Christian (14 January 2019). "Mayor of Polish city dies after stabbing at charity event". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Pietrzak, Karolina. "Stefan W. usłyszał zarzuty. Nożownik odpowie za zabójstwo Pawła Adamowicza". wiadomosci (in Polish). Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Stabbed Polish mayor dies in hospital". 14 January 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Polish mayor dies after being stabbed at charity event". RTÉ. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  18. ^ Davies, Christian (14 January 2019). "Mayor of Polish city dies after stabbing at charity event". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  19. ^ Gazeta.pl (14 January 2019). "Atak nożownika w Gdańsku". YouTube. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  20. ^ "Thousands march across Poland to remember slain mayor". Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Deadly attack on Gdansk mayor sparks protests in Poland". Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Reactions to the death of Gdańsk Mayor". Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  23. ^ Kaлининград.Ru. "В правительстве области почтили минутой молчания память президента Гданьска". kgd.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  24. ^ Костоглодов, Денис. "«Наш большой друг»: чем запомнился Павел Адамович жителям Калининградской области". kgd.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  25. ^ "M.P. 2010 nr 98 poz. 1144". Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Paweł Adamowicz Kawalerem Orderu Legii Honorowej". Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Teenetemärkide kavalerid". Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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