Radio Maryja

Radio Maryja IPA-pl| [ˈradjɔ ˈmarɨja] is a Polish religious, nationalist, conservative, anti-post-communists and pro-life Roman Catholic radio station and media group, describing itself as patriotic, founded in Toruń, Poland, on December 9, 1991 and run since its inception by the Redemptorist Tadeusz Rydzyk, often called Father Director by his fellow Roman Catholics. It readily backed the victorious Law and Justice party and the Kaczyński twins during the parliamentary and presidential elections in Poland in 2005 [ [http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=5662 Radio Maria played decisive role in latest elections in Poland] , "Catholic News Agency", January 4, 2006] , and was long a key pillar of support for the resulting coalition government [ [http://www.adl.org/main_International_Affairs/poland_challenge_of_extremism.htm Poland: Democracy and the Challenge of Extremism] , Anti-Defamation League, September 12, 2006] . The station has been criticized by both Polish and international media, notably for perceived misconceived patriotism, the use of Catholicism as a political tool, and accused of the promotion of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic propaganda. The Vatican expressed concern about the station, and the Episcopate of Poland has warned Radio Maryja about 'political broadcasting', [ [http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/dokument.aspx?iid=33074 Episcopate warns Radio Maryja on 'political broadcasting’] , "Polskie Radio", January 1, 2007] with Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków and the country's Primate, Cardinal Józef Glemp urging fellow Roman Catholic church leaders to take immediate action. Dziwisz made his remarks at a meeting of Polish hierarchy in July 2007, adding that the station threatens the unity of Polish Catholicism. However, the bishops were divided over whether to take action against the station which has considerable influence among its primary audience of the elderly rural poor [ [http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/news/Antisemitic_Polish_Radio.htm Polish Cardinal condemns priest accused of anti-Semitism on radio] , "Voice of America", September 5, 2007] . A political and religious movement led by the Father Director is called the Radio Maryja Family. The name "Maryja" assumed by the group, is a traditional form of the name "Mary", referring to Mary, mother of Jesus by the Polish Roman Catholic community. Critics say that scandals sparked by Radio Maryja have abused the authority of the Catholic Church in Poland [ [http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:rWAhoG7SggMJ:fredericschneider.free.fr/Radio%2520Maryja.doc Radio Maryja as an example of abuse of the authority of the Catholic Church in Poland] , by Mrs. Bielawska] .

Programming schedule

Radio Maryja's programming consists of a political and religious news service (several times daily), frequent recitals of the Rosary, breviary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the unction to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, discussions on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, daily transmission of the Holy Mass or of the Pope's pilgrimages, and sociological and political programs such as "A Program for Farmers" or "Unfinished Conversations" [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071015/lf_afp/polandelectionpoliticsreligion] ] Recorded broadcasts of the station are filed on many internet sites [For example: [http://www.jerzyrobertnowak.com/audycje.php 1) web site of Jerzy Nowak] of Radio Maryja [http://www.radiomaryja.pl.eu.org/nagrania/] 2) Radio Maryja broadcasts] - "strange and interesting programme fragments", and some on [http://www.radiomaryja.pl/query.php?__s=Radio+Maryja&__a=1 3) the Radio Maryja official web page] .] A slogan frequently repeated on Radio Maryja is: "Radio Maryja - The Catholic Voice in Your Home", or "A Catholic Voice in Your Home".

Ownership and finances

The radio station is owned by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Warsaw Province), and is financed through donations from its audience - "The Radio Maryja Family", unlike most Polish broadcasters which are either publicly funded or depend on advertising revenue. Due to a concordat with the Vatican that grants certain privileges to the Church, Radio Maryja is not bound by any accounting rules. Therefore Radio Maryja does not disclose the exact sources of its financing, nor of any of its enterprises, and does not pay taxes [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2758795.stm BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Controversial Polish Catholics enter TV ] ] . As revealed by Radio Maryja, it is financed by Jan Kobylański [ [http://www.radiomaryja.pl/audycje.php?id=3949 Radio Maryja - Katolicki Głos w Twoim Domu ] ] (a Uruguay-based millionaire, who was reportedly prevented from entering the US due to his alleged wartime collaboration with the Nazis, and is closely linked to the operator of Radio Maryja [ [http://antisemitism.tau.ac.il/asw2003-4/poland.htm Stephen Roth Institute: Antisemitism And Racism ] ] ). The station was also funded by Edward Moskal, the chairman of the American Polish Congress cite book | author = Cas Mudde | coauthors = | title = Racist Extremism in Central and Eastern Europe | year =2005 | editor = | pages = 168 | chapter = Rafal Pankowski and Marcin Kornak, "Poland" | chapterurl = | publisher = Routledge| location =London | isbn=0415355931 | oclc =55228719 | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=YB-ZwiBf5HgC&pg=PA168&dq=Edward+Moskal+anti-semitic&hl=lt&sig=8UrjweaXUnnfc9s50nG4n9DeoLQ | format = | accessdate = ] .

Radio Maryja raised millions of Polish zlotys from donors to save the historical shipyard in Gdańsk (where Solidarity was founded). The shipyard did not receive the money, however, as Father Rydzyk's associate lost millions of Polish zlotys on the stock market [ [http://poland.pl/news/article,Financial_sheningans_in_Radio_Maryja_under_scrutiny,id,218907.htm News from Poland - Financial sheningans in Radio Maryja under scrutiny ] ] .

Audience

Radia Maryja's audience is reputed to consist largely of elderly, rural listeners [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/26/AR2006052601928.html Mixed Reception for Polish Catholic Radio - washingtonpost.com] ] . The station claims that it has "millions of listeners", but market research usually shows lower numbers: approx. 1.2 million people daily. The audience peaked in 1998 and was estimated to be around 2 million listeners. The station estimates that it is listened to by well over 10% of adults in Poland [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2289567.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Polish Cardinal tackles radical radio ] ] ; the most comprehensive market research by Radio Track [http://www.radiotrack.pl/] for the whole of Poland (June-July 2005) shows a 2.5% "share of listening time", and this may or may not be in agreement with the 10% figure [http://www.smgkrc.pl/radiotr/pobrane/polska.jpg] . A March 15, 2007 "Economist" article summarized that "The church in Poland is divided between Vatican loyalists, who often oppose close involvement in politics, and energetic dissidents linked to Radio Maryja, a hardline broadcaster. This once had huge clout, articulating the feelings of Poles alienated by the country's brisk, materialist business culture and the decay in moral norms. But Radio Maryja's audience has shrunk in the past decade to no more than 2% of all current listeners." Radio Maryja is one of several Catholic media outlets in Poland.

Radio Maryja Family

The Reverend Rydzyk has gathered a large group of committed followers, the Radio Maryja Family ("Rodzina Radia Maryja"), to which he is, unquestionably, a charismatic authority. [ [http://www.radiomaryja.pl.eu.org/arch/blaszczyk.html Phenomenon of Radio Virgin Mary ] ] Many supporters of Radio identify themselves with this movement which its opponents call "the army of mohair berets", a pejorative and satirica] expression. As of November 2006, The Radio Maryja Family network had 600 clubs and offices across Poland [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/archiwum.phtml/13037/] . The movement holds a pilgrimage to Częstochowa every year, which in 2006 attracted about 200,000. In Poland the cult of Mary (mother of Jesus) is particularly strong. Representatives of the Radio Maryja Family also visited the Vatican five times during the papacy of John Paul II. Father Director and his organization have dealt with politics and have supported the conservative party PiS and its leaders, the Kaczyński brothers, though not without criticising them. It is the position of Radio Maryja that Catholic voters should support candidates who uphold Catholic values.

While the conventional greeting in the Roman Catholic Church is, "Praised be Jesus Christ!", the followers of Father Director use, "May Jesus Christ and Mary ever Virgin be praised".

Related enterprises

Enterprises related to Radio Maryja, independent of the Roman Catholic Church authorities, and initiated by the Reverend Rydzyk are the TV network Telewizja Trwam (lit. "I Persist"), a newspaper "Nasz Dziennik" ("Our Daily"), the "Nasza Przyszłość" ("Our Future") Foundation, the "Lux Veritatis" ("The Light of Truth") Foundation, and the "Wyższa Szkoła Kultury Społecznej i Medialnej" ("The College of Social and Media Culture") in Toruń. The rector of the College until recently was the Reverend Rydzyk. Radio Maryja's opponents say that this network of six enterprises is dominated by the Reverend Rydzyk and call it the "Media Empire of Father Rydzyk", or the "Rydzyk holding company" [ [http://manager.money.pl/strategie/artykul/rydzyk;holding;-;wielki;biznes;bez;podatkow,156,0,152220.html Rydzyk holding - wielki biznes bez podatków, Tadeusz Rydzyk, Radio Maryja, Telewizja Trwam, Nasz Dziennik, fundacja Nasza Przyszłość ] ] .

Criticisms and controversies

Allegations of intolerance

A survey on European "hate radio" prepared by Radio Netherlands cited Radio Maryja as controversial. One of Radio Maryja's programs, "Unfinished Conversations" is, according to the magazine Polityka, "dominated by intolerance and authoritarianism". Lech Wałęsa, a Nobel Prize laureate and a former president of Poland [ [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1983/walesa-bio.html Lech Walesa - Biography ] ] , announced that "Radio (Maryja) is lying if it considers itself a Catholic station" [ [http://serwisy.gazeta.pl/kraj/0,40330,1172617.html Ojciec Rydzyk i Radio Maryja - Raporty - Kraj - Gazeta.pl ] ] . Nevertheless, Radio Maryja claims that it is the only independent radio station in Poland. It accuses other media, mainly leftist "Gazeta Wyborcza", of fiercely attacking the "only entirely Polish radio station", referring to the fact that almost all mass media, including "Gazeta Wyborcza", are controlled by foreign capital. Critics claim that the station uses propaganda which emphasizes nationalism, antisemitism, anti-communism and anti-German prejudice [ [http://www.eurotopics.net/en/presseschau/archiv/calender/NEWSLETTER-2006-05-11 euro|topics - Is Poland's democracy in danger? ] ]

Allegations of antisemitism

Critics [ [http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2004/poland.htm Antisemitism And Racism ] ] agree that the radio station crosses the line of xenophobia. Critics also contend that Radio Maryja propagates extreme antisemitism [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1790870,00.html Antisemitism live | World news | guardian.co.uk ] ] and hate concepts such as "żydokomuna". The Council for Media Ethics referred to the station's "weakly documented accusations" as "primitive anti-Semitism" [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE7D6113FF930A35756C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "LETTER FROM POLAND; Differing Treatment of Religious Slurs Raises an Old Issue"] , "The New York Times", May 3, 2006. Accessed April 4, 2008.] . In January 2000 another controversy was caused by Ryszard Bender, a historian from the Catholic University of Lublin, speaking on Radio Maryja with a convicted Holocaust denier [http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/html/eng/aktualnosci/klamstwo_osw.html] , Dariusz Ratajczak, that Auschwitz was not an extermination camp but merely a large labour camp for Jews [ [http://kultura.onet.pl/notatnik.asp?DB=184&ITEM=32] [http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw99-2000/poland.htm] ] . In April, 2006, leading Polish essayist Stanisław Michalkiewicz was reported in "Gazeta Wyborcza" as stating that "men from Judea ... are trying to surprise us from behind", and referring to the World Jewish Congress as "a main firm in the Holocaust Industry" [ [http://www.michalkiewicz.pl/rdm_29-03-2006.php] . Michalkiewicz responded by calling "Gazeta Wyborcza" "an unusual example of the Jewish fifth column in Poland" and "a Jewish newspaper for Poles". Supporters of Radio Maryja claim that hateful or anti-Semitic statements transmitted by the station are rare and originate mostly from its listeners and not its employees [ [http://sunday.niedziela.pl/artykul.php?nr=200409&dz=polska&id_art=00035 Sunday - Catholic Magazine ] ] .

The alleged antisemitism of Radio Maryja has brought the station to worldwide attention [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1790870,00.html Anti-semitism live | World news | guardian.co.uk ] ] . A report of the Council of Europe stated that Radio Maryja has been "openly inciting to antisemitism for several years" and that there is "a lack of effective implementation of measures intended to prohibit antisemitic acts and statements" in Poland [ [http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/ecri/1-ecri/2-country-by-country_approach/Poland/Poland_CBC_3.asp Poland_CBC_3 ] ] . The Simon Wiesenthal Center initiated a petition condemning Father Rydzyk's extremist antisemitic statements [ [http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=312458&content_id=%7B51C89206-C557-408D-82D4-08AACDB67B53%7D&notoc=1 Simon Wiesenthal Center ] ] [See a video of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olFDBeEQYTU Rabbi Marvin Hier talking about the "Jew-hating" Father Rydzyk] ] .

In 2004 Radio Maryja went on a campaign in defense of Father Henryk Jankowski, a priest accused of antisemitism and pedophilia. (State prosecutor found no proof of child molestation, but stated that relations between Father Jankowski and the altar boys were improper. The scandal resulted in a recall of Father Jankowski from the post of parish priest [ [http://ludzie.wprost.pl/sylwetka/?O=35083 Ludzie Wprost - Henryk Jankowski ] ] ).

In July 2007 over 700 [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/884057.html] Polish Catholic intellectuals, journalists, priests and Catholic activists signed a public letter of protest condemning Father Tadeusz Rydzyk [ [http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=245494&ct=4113809 News Releases - Simon Wiesenthal Center ] ] [The signed letter: [http://www.ckid.pl/] , in Polish] .

In August 2007 "Nasz Dziennik", a newspaper tightly linked with Radio Maryja, suggested approval of the Holy Father for Father Rydzyk's behavior - an article entitled [ [http://www.naszdziennik.pl/index.php?typ=my&dat=20070811&id=my31.txt "The Holy Father Blessed Us"] ] described in detail how Father Rydzyk and his company went to the Vatican and [ [http://www.naszdziennik.pl/photo.php?pict=0bii11.jpg&dat=20070811&id=ii11.txt kissed the hand] ] of the Holy Father. The Vatican promptly announced: "In reference to requests for clarification related to (Father) Tadeusz Rydzyk's 'kiss' ... the matter does not imply any change in the Holy See's well-known position on relations between Catholics and Jews" [ [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09640903.htm Reuters AlertNet - Pope-Rydzyk talks don't alter stand on Jews-Vatican ] ] .

Conspiracy theories

A recent affair regarding the WSI, presented on the station by Antoni Macierewicz, purports to show how society was steered by the secret services.

A listener once called in with an opinion that Jews rule the country, that their government should be removed with violence and that Radio Maryja should take the power [ [http://www.kunstsachverstaendige-von-baranow.de/manifestacja.mp3 Listen] ] .

Conflict with Vatican

The Vatican has voiced deep concern about Radio Maryja [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4886716.stm] [http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00277] ] . The papal nuncio in Poland, Archbishop Józef Kowalczyk, wrote to the Polish Episcopate requesting their aid "to overcome difficulties caused by some transmissions and the views presented by Radio Maryja". In response in May 2006 Polish bishops established an oversight body, a Cooperative Unit for Pastoral Care of Radio Maryja (headed by bishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź). Some Polish bishops support the Reverend Rydzyk, and "thanked for the great evangelizing work conducted by Radio Maryja" [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/11264/ Warsaw Voice - Oy Vey, Maryja ] ] . Also a group of Polish Sejm deputies and EuroMPs addressed an open letter to the chair of the Episcopate of Poland concerning "protection for Radio Maryja". The controversial Father Director remains the head of Radio Maryja and the radio has ignored the warning from the Vatican ambassador [ [http://www.wwrn.org/sparse.php?idd=21595 WorldWide Religious News - Divided church awaits Benedict in Catholic Poland ] ] .

Several Polish bishops had criticized Radio Maryja for spreading opinions incompatible with the official Episcopate's stand [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/archiwum.phtml/2123/] . Critics note that the Polish Episcopate has been divided over Radio Maryja for a long time [ [http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_36__article_2734.htm] [http://www.wwrn.org/sparse.php?idd=21595] [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/11101/] ] . Media speculated that the Roman Catholic Church in Poland might be heading for a schism [ [http://www.janes.com/regional_news/europe/news_briefs/fr020927_08.shtml] ] . An imaginary breakaway church led by the Reverend Rydzyk has been named "The Rydzyk Church of Poland" [ [http://www.masterpage.com.pl/outlook/200602/church-against-government.html Rdzyk Catholic Church Against The Roman Catholic Church ] ] , an ironic expression, or the "Toruń-Catholic Church" (in Polish: "kościół toruńsko-katolicki"). In Poland the latter term is sometimes used to refer to the ideology of Radio Maryja in general.

Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, the former secretary general of the Episcopate of Poland, said that Radio Maryja is "a real and growing problem", it "offers a reduced view on Christianity" and "is extremely compromising and shameful, sick and dangerous". [http://www.wwrn.org/sparse.php?idd=21595] According to the official Vatican web page: "Radio Maryja (...) became much more involved in spreading risky politics than in spreading the Gospel [ [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/cultr/documents/rc_pc_cultr_20000302_doc_i-2000-plenaria-2_en.html#8 Culture e fede - Cultures et foi - Cultures and Faith - Culturas y fe - 1/2000 - Plenaria 2000 (2) ] ] ."

Euroscepticism

Radio Maryja strongly opposed Poland's joining of the European Union which eventually happened in 2004 [ [http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2002/march02/reluceur Reluctantly European? ] ] . The station also suggested that a close cooperation with Russia would better serve Poland's national interests than joining of NATO (which happened in 1999) [ [http://www.opendemocracy.net/faith-catholicchurch/catholicmedia_3450.jsp Poland's past and future pope | openDemocracy ] ] . Until 2003 the Catholic Radio Maryja was also aired on shortwave from Russia. Despite his euroscepticism, Father Director applied for funds of the European Union alloted to help boost Polish businesses and researchers from 2007-2013 [ [http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1176915601.58/] [http://gospodarka.gazeta.pl/gospodarka/1,54642,4441602.html] ] . Radio Maryja often states that it is attacked by liberal politicians and by media who are doing everything to assault "the only alternative for Poland" [ [http://www.radiomaryja.pl/query.php?__s=Atak+na+Radio+Maryja&__a=2] (original web site, in Polish)] .

Support for death penalty

Radio Maryja promoted the political program of Law and Justice, a Polish conservative party, which together with the League of Polish Families sought to introduce capital punishment in Poland and throughout Europe [ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR370022006?open&of=ENG-POL] [http://www.eubusiness.com/Social/060804013240.z7jjr626/] [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/6870/] ] . The support of Radio Maryja for the death penalty contrasts strongly with the mainstream teachings of the Roman Catholic Church [ [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/rc_seg-st_doc_20010621_death-penalty_en.html Declaration of the Holy See to the First World Congress on the Death Penalty ] ] .

Involvement in politics

Direct involvement in political issues is against the Catholic Church's directives for priests Nevertheless, radical politicians, including Andrzej Lepper, Roman Giertych, Jarosław Kaczyński, and Zbigniew Ziobro, are often invited to promote their views on Radio Maryja. Thus the religious station serves as a political channel of radical parties, although the Vatican has ordered Radio Maryja to "drop the politics" [ [http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/dokument.aspx?iid=35159 Polskie Radio dla zagranicy - Vatican orders Radio Maryja to ‘drop the politics’ ] ] . Asked whether the Reverend Rydzyk would himself form a party, bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, the former secretary general of the Episcopate of Poland, replied that he could not imagine a priest starting a political organization [ [http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/7745/ Warsaw Voice - Wałęsa at War ] ] .

In January 2006, a journalist from the Polish tabloid "Fakt" phoned the minister for agriculture Krzysztof Jurgiel, claiming to be Father Director's assistant, and told Jurgiel that Father Director's car had broken down. The minister immediately sent a government limousine for the Reverend Rydzyk. The reporter said he had carried out the provocation to check Rydzyk's influence in the government.

In February 2006 the Law and Justice party signed a key agreement with two other political parties. To the fury of the Polish press, only journalists from Radio Maryja's sister television network Trwam and its director the Reverend Rydzyk, who actively supported Law and Justice during the election, were allowed in the room. The president of the Polish National Broadcasting Council, Elzbieta Kruk, stated that she has no authority to act in regard to these complaints, as she has been appointed by the Polish president Lech Kaczyński; critics add that the government fears of alienating the station's dedicated audience, who make up a significant fraction of the constituency of the governing party Law and Justice.

In March 2006, Polish literary critic and television personality Kazimiera Szczuka satirized a young woman who frequently recites prayers on Radio Maryja, not knowing that the woman was confined to a wheelchair. Despite Szczuka's public apology, she was found guilty of "insulting a disabled person and mocking her religion" by the Polish National Broadcasting Council. The station on which she had appeared was fined the equivalent of $125,000; according to the Polish press, the highest fine the Council had ever levied. The sole dissenting member of the Council, Wojciech Dziomdziora, stated that "It is probably right to say" that the political support of Radio Maryja for the ruling party "is the real reason" for the serious punishment of Szczuka, while Radio Maryja is given a free hand for disparaging comments on other's religions.

Governmental back up

The former cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński openly supported Radio Maryja. In December 2006 the Prime Minister of Poland, Jarosław Kaczyński, joined the 15th anniversary celebrations of Radio Maryja and praised the station as a source of "comfort and hope" [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR2006120701098.html] [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/07/europe/EU_GEN_Poland_Catholic_Radio.php] ] . Kaczyński warned that "an attack on Radio Maryja is an attack against freedom" [ [http://www.radiomaryja.pl/artykuly.php?id=311] (article in Polish by Radio Maryja] . Jarosław Kaczyński, the twin brother of the President of Poland, was a regular guest of Radio Maryja [ [http://www.adl.org/main_International_Affairs/poland_challenge_of_extremism.htm Poland: Democracy and the Challenge of Extremism ] ] .

Scandals with President's wife

In 2007 Father Rydzyk offended Maria Kaczyńska, the wife of the Polish President Lech Kaczyński, and 50 women journalists who met with the Polish first lady on the International Women's Day. The Reverend Rydzyk said that the meeting was a cesspool - "We will not call it anything else. We will never refer to a cesspool as a perfumery." The women signed a statement to protest a tightening of the country's already strict abortion laws [ [http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,472439,00.html Poland's Balancing Act: The Left Wing, the Far Right and the Kaczynskis - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News ] ] . Later the "Wprost" magazine published a recording from a lecture given by the Reverend Rydzyk at his private College of Social and Media Culture in Toruń, in which, according to Wprost, he called the President's wife "a witch who should perform euthanasia on herself" and stated that "the President cheated him" [Published 8 July, 2007, text and sound in Polish: [http://www.wprost.pl/ar/?O=109812] ] . He allegedly called the Polish President "a swindler who had bowed to pressure from the Jewish lobby". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6898183.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Stir over priest's 'anti-Semitic remarks' ] ] The Reverend Rydzyk refused to apologize saying that the voice recording was "a manipulation" and a result of a "fight of spirits". BBC News noted that "Mr. Rydzyk has not denied making the comments" [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6291570.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Polish priest faces removal call ] ] .

Attacks on Radio Maryja

In 1996, an anonymous person phoned Radio Maryja and spoke vulgar language to the priest hosting a live program [ [http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trzy_s%C5%82owa_do_ojca_prowadz%C4%85cego article in Polish] ] . As a result Radio Maryja uses a delay loop which allows filtering of callers' comments.

Polish Internauts broadly discuss the problems created by Radio Maryja. For example, the station used to continuously broadcast an RDS signal for traffic announcements making car radios in Poland notoriously switch to Radio Maryja - see Usenet post [ [http://groups.google.com/group/pl.misc.samochody/browse_thread/thread/62ce23535e73d94e] , in Polish] .

The radio had been Google bombed in 2006 by the Polish Internet community, targeting the phrase "siedziba Szatana" ("dwelling of Satan"). [ [http://hacking.pl/5950] , in Polish] The bomb appears to be still partially in effect.

References

External links

* [http://www.radiomaryja.pl Radio Maryja] official web site
* [http://www.wsksim.edu.pl The College of Social and Media Culture] University founded by Reverend Tadeusz Rydzyk
* [http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/dossiers/hateradioeur.html Radio Netherlands feature on controversial European radio stations including Radio Maryja]
* [http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw99-2000/poland.htm Tel Aviv University Report from the Stephen Roth institute for the study of contemporary Racism and Antisemitism]
* [http://economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6802843 Radio nasty: Anti-Semitic radio in trouble] , The Economist, 12 April 2006
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/world/03letter.html?ex=1304308800&en=796ae59cc87cf0f6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Richard Bernstein: Differing Treatment of Religious Slurs Raises an Old Issue] , The New York Times, May 3, 2006.
* [http://www.aniaspoland.com/HotTopics.html Poland 2006 - Hot Topics: Radio Maryja]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1682714077602076645&q=radio+maryja&hl=en No comment video: Radio Maryja Family attempts to offend their hated TV station TVN]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5835749526554211113&q=radio+maryja&hl=en Video in Polish: TVN's documentary about Radio Maryja]
* [http://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Radio_Maryja Radio Maryja - list of quotations (in Polish)]
* [http://news.google.com/news?q=radio%20maryja Google News: Radio Maryja (results compiled by computer algorithms)]
* [http://www.factbites.com/topics/Radio-Maryja Factbites: Radio Maryja (results compiled by computer algorithms)]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.radiomaryja.pl Internet archive of the official Radio Maryja web site]
* [http://www.ojciec-dyrektor.de opponents' website featuring satirical images and authentic recordings]
* [http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=a10c485f-c0e7-4d25-8f4b-550689eefd92 article "A different World: The Jews as Seen by Radio Maryja" by Rafał Maszkowski, in: Kwartalnik Historii Zydow (Jewish History Quarterly)] , 04/2006, pp. 669-687 in Polish, on the antisemitism in Radio Maryja

ee also

* Tadeusz Rydzyk
* Politics of Poland
* Media in Poland
* Far right in Poland