Speaking at a convention in the northern city of Gdańsk on Saturday, Kaczyński said his ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party would strive to defend the rights of internet users in Poland after the controversial new rules were voted through by the European Parliament.
Kaczyński told those at the convention that the newly approved EU Copyright Directive would be brought into Polish law—by the Law and Justice party of which he is head—“in such a way that the freedom of the internet is preserved.”
'Dear internet users, we are with you': PM
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki echoed that his government “will try to implement [the EU directive] in such a way that there is as much of the freedom maintained as possible."
Morawiecki vowed to "fight for freedom of speech on the internet" for the benefit of "all those wonderful YouTubers, bloggers, influencers, forum participants and internet users out there."
He declared: "Dear internet users, we are with you."
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addresses the convention in the Baltic port city of Gdańsk on Saturday. PAP/Adam Warżawa
Morawiecki hit out at Polish opposition politicians who he said “have their mouths full of clichés about freedom, but voted against freedom of the internet."
Polish MEPs split in EU copyright vote
Eurodeputies from Poland’s opposition Civic Platform (PO) party were among those who supported the controversial new copyright rules in the European Parliament this week, according to media reports.
Earlier this week Morawiecki thanked MEPs from his governing conservative Law and Justice party for voting in favour of "freedom of expression and civil rights for millions of Polish internet users."
The new EU Copyright Directive, voted through by MEPs in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday, aims to change the way in which internet companies use media, music, news articles and other content posted online.
Opponents argue the new measures will endanger the freedom of the internet and lead to censorship, while advocates say changes in law are needed to better protect the rights of authors and creators.
Under one new measure, internet companies will be forced to pay publishers for displaying news snippets. Another measure requires online platforms such as Google and Facebook to install filters to prevent users from uploading copyrighted material, according to reports.
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Source: TVP Info, PAP