Polish president distances himself from 'video prankster' probe

A public prosecutor's office in Nowy Sącz, southern Poland, green-lit the seizure of the computer, and the 17-year-old was questioned on Thursday.

The YouTuber featured a video of the president on his profile under the headline: “Shock! Drunken president steals flowers from the statue of Roman Dmowski.”

Duda is seen removing a wreath from a statue of the pre-war politician, as the film is played in reverse.

“A guy reversed a video that for some is funny, for others malicious but all in all meaningless as it was reversed,” Duda wrote on his Twitter profile on Thursday.

“The prosecutor's office? Give it a break,” he added.

The prosecutor's office was apparently acting in response to a complaint made by a private individual, who claimed that the YouTuber had insulted the president and issued threats against him.

The law about insulting heads of state is a relic of the pre-1989, communist system.

In 2012, a Polish man who created a video game that invited users to kill the then president Bronisław Komorowski was taken to court for insulting the head of state. Komorowski likewise distanced himself from the law in question, saying he could "do without it."

Meanwhile, the 17-year-year-old in the current case has said that he did not create the reversed video, but simply reposted it after coming across the film elsewhere on the web. (nh/pk)

Source: IAR