This political murder was not a random escalation of violence, but the result of hatred and fear of foreignness deliberately stoked by the far right. In his final words before the court, Eligiusz Niewiadomski stated that the murder of the first president of independent Poland was a crime, but also his duty. The trial of Gabriel Narutowicz's killer is therefore not only a trial of a man but also of a specific political doctrine and ideological zeal that stops at nothing. It is no coincidence that Bartosz Szydłowski has now drawn on materials from Niewiadomski's trial. The radicalization of the right, coupled with its growing popularity in society, leaves no doubt that violence will escalate. The only question is who will fall victim first.

The Trial of Eligiusz Niewiadomski is a reconstruction of a court trial, but also a civic theater project that centrally raises questions about the dangerous fantasies that continue to stir national emotions. In this extraordinary project we will see, among others, Olgierd Łukaszewicz, Przemysław Bluszcz, Andrzej Kłak, Tomasz Karolak and Krzysztof Zarzecki.

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The script was based on the court document “The Trial of Eligjusz Niewiadomski. For the Assassination Attempt on the Life of the President of the Republic of Poland, Gabryel Narutowicz, on December 16, 1922. Held at the District Court in Warsaw on December 30, 1922”, prepared by Stanisław Kijeński, 1923.

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Photo by Karolina Jóźwiak