(AP-ANSA) - WARSAW - The popular liberal mayor of the Polish
port city of Gdansk died on Monday after he was stabbed during a
charity event the evening before by an ex-convict who stormed on
stage and said it was revenge against a political party the
politician once belonged to. Pawel Adamowicz, 53, died as a
result of wounds to the heart and abdomen in spite of efforts to
save him that involved a five- hour operation and blood
transfusions, Health Minister Lukasz S zumowski said. "The fight
for his life has been lost," Szumowski said.
The assassination of Adamowicz, a six-term mayor who often
mingled freely with citizens of his city, sent Poland into
shock. Even before his death was announced, rallies against
violence were being planned to take place across Poland in the
evening. In Gdansk, the city flag was lowered to half-staff and
a Mass was planned for later in the day. The right-wing ruling
Law and Justice party faced accusations from its critics that an
atmosphere of hatred against Adamowicz and others liberal
political opponents helped instigate the attack. Government
officials appeared to be pushing back against that accusation,
strongly denouncing the attack and stressing that the
27-year-old perpetrator had a history of violent bank robberies
and possible mental illness. The ex-convict who rushed onto the
stage with a knife Sunday and stabbed Adamowicz shouted that it
was revenge against Civic Platform, which Adamowicz belonged to
for many years. The assailant shouted from the stage that he had
been wrongly imprisoned under a previous government led by Civic
Platform. He said his name was Stefan and that "I was jailed but
innocent. ... Civic Platform tortured me. That's why Adamowicz
just died." Deputy Chief Prosecutor Krzysztof Sierak said there
are "doubts " as to the mental state of the attacker, who used a
14.5-centi meter knife on Adamowicz, and that two psychiatrists
will examine him. He had served 5 ½ years in prison and was
released toward the end of last year. Adamowicz, who has been
the city's mayor for more than 20 years, grabbed his belly and
collapsed in front of the audience during the "Lights to Heaven"
fundraiser organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas
Charity. The attack triggered an outpouring of solidarity, with
many people donating blood in Gdansk on Monday. Some said they
were given time off work to help save Adamowicz. The spokeswoman
for the ruling Law and Justice party Beata Mazurek said the
attack should be "absolutely condemned by all, regardless of
what side of the political spectrum they are on." She insisted
politicians in Poland need "greater responsibility for words,
for deeds" because "there is no shortage of madmen on both
sides" of the political scale. Ruling authorities also sent a
government plane to transport the mayor's wife, who had been
traveling, from London back to Gdansk. The government's critics,
however, said that they believed that animosity voiced against
Adamowicz by ruling party officials, sometimes carried on state
television, as well as by extremists, played a role. VANESSA
GERA and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA - (AP-ANSA).
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