We are deeply shocked by the death of Pawel Bogdan Adamowicz who tragically passed away on January 13th. We express our deepest condolences to his two daughters and wife, whom he had to leave behind at the young age of 53 years. As thrice-elected Mayor of the city of Gdańsk in the province of Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, he was known for his progressive agenda and solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community, migrants and minority groups. Read more about it here.
Adamowicz was fatally stabbed on an open stage in front of hundreds of people during the finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity that took place in Gdańsk. The Mayor was reanimated and taken to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries after 5 hours of surgery at the university hospital of Gdańsk.The 27-year-old attacker was later detained by the authorities. The motives of the assassination are still unclear, but the perpetrator has been known to the police and the state of his mental health is being examined.
In the aftermath of the attack, the people of Gdańsk are mourning the loss of their mayor: flags have been lowered half-mast, candles are being lit in front of the city hall and on Monday, January 14th tens of thousands of people took to the streets to march against hate and violence. The act has also triggered a public debate in Poland on the increase of political violence.
