Polish minister tries to ban Nobel winner's ‘pornographic’ play
Piotr
Gliński’s move seen by civil liberties groups as a sign country is poised for a
return to draconian state censorship.
Poland’s
new culture minister wants to ban a production by one of the country’s leading
theatre companies of a play by a Nobel prize-winning author, claiming public
money must not be used to subsidise “pornography”.
The move by
Piotr Gliński, who is also deputy prime minister in the new conservative Law
& Justice government, is seen by civil liberties groups as a sign that
Poland is poised for a return to draconian state censorship.
In a letter
to the governor of Lower Silesia on the eve of the premiere of Der Tod und das
Mädchen (Princess Dramas: Death and the Maiden) by Elfriede Jelinek, Gliński
called for the cancellation of the play. The venue, the Polski theatre, was
publicly funded, he argued, and “we are dealing with pornography in its full
and literal meaning”.
“The
Ministry of Culture expects that you order the immediate suspension of the
production,” he wrote. But the governor, Cezary Przybylski, told Polish
television that “we do not interfere with artistic expression’’, and the show
went ahead in the western city of Wrocław.
Following
the first night on Saturday, 12 people were arrested after skinheads from the
National Resurrection of Poland movement clashed with theatregoers.
On Sunday,
the home of the theatre’s artistic director was pelted with eggs and tomatoes.
“These are dark days for Poland, reminiscent of Nazi and Soviet oppression,”
the Polski theatre’s literary manager, Piotr Rudzki, told the Guardian.
“A move
like this, in a country with Poland’s history, is intended to remind us of the
years leading up to 1989 when all productions had to be passed by the state
censor.”
Polski
theatre’s website describes the play, directed by Ewelina Marciniak, as an
“exploration of the relationship between torturer and victim”, saying it was
“suitable for very adult audiences”.
Rudzki
said: “The opening scene features Czech porn actors Rossy and Tim. Under strobe
lighting, they simulate foreplay. The scene is intended to startle the audience
in the same way as when you come across your parents having sex.”
He said the
play was sold out and there were no plans to cancel it. But he added that the
Polski theatre received half its annual funding – 5m złotys (£830,000) – from
the culture ministry.
“We fear
financial censorship now. There could also be ramifications for freedom of
expression. The government has an absolute majority in parliament and the
potential to change the constitution. Our theatre is not about diverting
people. Our company wants to make people think. We are not that attractive to
private sponsors,” said Rudzki.
Within a
week of being sworn in this month, the Law & Justice government has sacked
Poland’s intelligence chiefs and passed a legal amendment that could allow
political control of the constitutional court.
The Polish
Ministry of Culture and the governor of Lower Silesia did not respond to the
Guardian’s requests for interviews.
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