Janusz Korwin-Mikke

Janusz Korwin-Mikke (Polish: [ˈjanuʂ ˈkɔrvʲin ˈmʲikkɛ]; born 27 October 1942) is a Polish far-right[1][2][3][4] politician, paleolibertarian[5][6][7] and author. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 until 2018. He was the leader of the Congress of the New Right (KNP),[8] which was formed in 2011 from Liberty and Lawfulness, which he led from its formation in 2009, and the Real Politics Union (Unia Polityki Realnej), which he led from 1990 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2003. Currently, he is the chairman of the party Liberty, which changed its name from KORWiN, and since 2019 he is a member of the Sejm, elected from the electoral list of Confederation Liberty and Independence.

Janusz Korwin-Mikke
Janusz Korwin-Mikke in 2016
Member of the Sejm
Assumed office
12 November 2019
ConstituencyWarsaw I
In office
25 November 1991 – 31 May 1993
ConstituencyPoznań 18
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 July 2014 – 1 March 2018
ConstituencyKatowice
Personal details
Born
Janusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke

(1942-10-27) 27 October 1942
Warsaw, General Governorate, German Reich
Political partyKORWiN
Confederation
Other political
affiliations		SD (1962–1982)
Real Politics Union (1987–2009)
WiP (2009–2011)
KNP (2011–2015)
Spouse(s)Ewa Mieczkowska (1966–73,div.)
Małgorzata Szmit (1993–?,div.)
Dominika Sibiga (2016–)
Children8
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw (Master of Philosophy in 1969)
Signature
Websitekorwin-mikke.pl

Biography

Janusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke was born in German-occupied Warsaw on October 27, 1942. He was the only child of Ryszard Mikke and Maria Rosochacka. His father was the head of an engineering department of the State Aviation Works. After the death of his mother during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, he was under the care of his grandmother and later stepmother. Janusz Korwin-Mikke's great-grandfather was Gustaw Izydor Mikke aka Mücke, son of Samuel Beniamin Mücke (who was a brewer in Kielce) and grandson of Samuel Mücke.[9]

He studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Faculty of Philosophy of the Warsaw University. For his anti-communist activities, in 1964 he was detained by the communist authorities while studying psychology, law, philosophy and sociology. During the 1968 Polish political crisis, he was again arrested, jailed and expelled from the university for his participation in student protests.[10] Despite his anti-communist activities, JKM was reinstated and allowed to finish his studies with the dean Klemens Szaniawski. He successfully defended his master thesis Metodologiczne aspekty poglądów Stephena Toulmina (eng. Methodological aspects of Stephen Toulmin's views), written under the guide of Henryk Jankowski.[11]

Korwin-Mikke met with Milton Friedman when Friedman toured Europe advocating free-market policies. Friedman wrote about Janusz Korwin-Mikke in his memoirs:[12]

Janusz Korwin-Mikke, with whom I corresponded, had been active before liberation as an underground publisher, bringing out a translation of Capitalism and Freedom and Hayek's Road to Serfdom, as well as other libertarian literature. Subsequently, he ran for president on a strict libertarian platform. At the time we were in Warsaw, his Union of Real Policy was housed in a former dwelling that was a literal maze of small offices, all occupied by young people actively working on spreading the libertarian gospel. We had very good, lively discussions with them.

— Milton Friedman, Two lucky people: Memoirs by Milton Friedman, Rose. D. Friedman

From 1962 to 1982 he was a member of the Democratic Party. In August 1980 he supported the political strike of the Szczecin Shipyard workers, and later he was an adviser of NSZZ Rzemieślników Indywidualnych "Solidarność" (Independent Craftsmen's Union). In 1987 he founded a national conservative, economically liberal political party called Ruch Polityki Realnej (Movement of Real Policy), later renamed - Unia Polityki Realnej (UPR, Union of Real Policy).

In 1990 he established a weekly paper Najwyższy Czas! (About Time!).[13][14]

Korwin-Mikke was a member of Parliament during the first term of the Sejm of the Third Republic of Poland. He was the originator of the vetting resolution on 28 May 1992, which obliged the Minister of Internal Affairs to disclose the names of all politicians who had been communist secret police agents. The disclosed list contained numerous prominent politicians of most political factions. This led to the government being overthrown by the opposition and the President Lech Walesa.[15]

He was his party's candidate in Polish presidential elections, obtaining 2.4% votes in 1995, 1.43% in 2000, 1,4% in 2005, 2.48% in 2010, 3.3% in 2015.[16] In 2018 he co-founded a eurosceptic political party Konfederacja. In 2019 he was elected for deputy in the lower chamber of Polish Parliament (Sejm).[17] He is a self-declared monarchist who claims that democracy is "the most stupid form of government ever conceived".[18] Janusz Korwin-Mikke is a former professional contract bridge player. He has authored, together with Andrzej Macieszczak, a popular book on the subject.[19]

In 2008, his blog was the most popular political blog in Poland.[20]

He frequently refers to such figures as Frédéric Bastiat, Alexis de Tocqueville, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Margaret Thatcher.[21]

Controversies
During the 2000 presidential campaign in Poland

At the plenary session of the European Parliament held after the assault at Charlie Hebdo, Korwin-Mikke expressed his dissatisfaction with the public reaction to those events by typing at his laptop 'I am not Charlie. I am for death penalty' and presenting it to the public instead of a sign 'Je suis Charlie' held by the other MEPs.[22]

Korwin-Mikke during a press conference in the Polish Sejm, 2015

Sexism

In 1991 he published his guidebook for men, "Father's Vademecum", in which he wrote many pieces of advice that have been recognized as highly controversial and sexist, such as "If you cannot resolve conflict with your wife in any way, if you cannot convince her, then, unfortunately, you have to use physical force."[23]

He believes that women are, on average, less intelligent than men, citing chess results to back up his claims.[24][25] Also, he cites Margaret Thatcher as his political model.[26][27][28] He also stated that the difference between rape and consensual sex is very subtle,[29] even going as far as saying that "Were you to understand woman's nature, sir, you would know that there is an element of rape in every sexual intercourse".[30] He further claimed that: "there is a hypothesis that the attitudes of men are passed to women they sleep with".[31]

On 1 March 2017, Korwin-Mikke sparked controversy by stating that women were paid less than their male counterparts on average due to them being "smaller, weaker and less intelligent", during a debate in the EP regarding the gender pay gap.[32][33] Two days later, Korwin-Mikke would make further comments stating that there was a stereotype that "women have the same intellectual potential as men” and it “must be destroyed because it is not true.”[34] Later he was suspended for 10 days from the plenary sessions of the EP.[35] In May 2018 European General Court canceled all sanctions and ordered European Parliament to return the money.[36]

Racism

In 2014, Korwin-Mikke was fined by President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz for 'expressing himself in a racist manner'.[37] The decision was taken after Korwin-Mikke's speech about EU employment policy on the plenary session on 16 July, during which he said: 'we have 20 million Europeans who are now negroes of Europe'.[38][39] According to him the word 'negroes' was not meant as an offence, but rather referred to the song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono 'Woman is the Nigger of the world'.[40]

Ableism

During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Korwin-Mikke wrote that the general public should "not see the disabled on television".[41] On the other hand, in 2007, he set up the "Individual Development Foundation" which helps disabled people develop their skills in chess.[42][43]

Anti-semitism

Korwin-Mikke has a history of anti-semitic stunts and statements.[44] He promoted a conspiracy theory on Jews in conjunction with reporting on the residents of Pruchnik beating up the effigy of an Orthodox Jew.[44] In 2020, while making comments on the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated that anti-Jewish pogroms made Jews powerful via natural selection and that rabbis may have engineered this.[44][45] Korwin-Mikke denies being an anti-Semite.[25][46]

Other conspiracy theories

Other provocative statements include his claim that there is no written proof that Adolf Hitler was aware of the Holocaust.[29] On 15 April 2015, the Polish news outlet Wiadomości quoted Korwin-Mikke that the snipers that shot civilians and police officers during the Maidan protests were trained in Poland and that they acted on behalf of the CIA to provoke riots.[47]

Criticism of the EU

He proposed that the European Commission's Berlaymont building would be better used as a brothel.[18][48] In July 2015, Korwin-Mikke was suspended from the EP after giving a Nazi salute and saying "ein Reich, ein Volk, ein ticket" during a speech to protest against a uniform EU transport ticket.[49]

Criticism of social welfare

In regard to welfare, he claimed that "if someone gives money to an unemployed person, he should have his hand cut off because he is destroying the morale of the people".[31]

On 8 September 2015, Korwin-Mikke was giving a speech in EP about the European migrant crisis, during which he described immigrants unwilling to work and only interested in welfare as "human garbage".[50] His opinion met with critical reaction of other MEPs. As a result of this, Korwin-Mikke was once more suspended from the EP for 10 days and fined €3062.[51][52]

Publications

Selected works by JKM:

Korwin-Mikke in 2013
  • Brydż (Bridge), 1976
  • Program Liberałów (Liberal's Program(me)), 1979 – Program(me) of a future libertarian-conservative party.
  • Ubezpieczenia (Insurances), 1979 – Critical analysis/evaluation of state-provided social insurances.
  • Katechizm robotnika liberała (Catechism of a liberal worker), 1979 – Explanatory brochure ("FAQ") about the basic tenets of economic liberalism, aimed at the working class.
  • Bez impasu. Elementy logiki i psychologii w brydżu (Without impasse/finesse. Elements of logic and psychology in bridge), 1980
  • Brydż dla początkujących (Bridge for beginners), 1980
  • Gospodarka po sierpniu 1980, czyli co proponuje P. Józef Pińkowski (Economic system after the Gdańsk Agreement, a word about Sir Józef Pińkowski's proposals), 1980 – Critical analysis/evaluation of a socialist economy, as well as the economic policies of Solidarity movement and the ruling government.
  • Historia i zmiana (History and change), 1982 – On evolution of political systems and their economies.
  • JK-M vs. NN (JKM vs. Anonymous reader), 1985 – Brochure of JKM's polemics with an anonymous reader.
  • Liberum veto, 1986
  • Brydż sportowy (Sport's bridge), 1986
  • Ratujmy państwo (Let's Save the Country), 1990
  • Nie tylko o Żydach (Not Only About Jews), 1991 – About inter-Polish politics.
  • Prowokacja? (Provocation?), 1991 – Combined feuilletons from years 1980–1990, originally published in "Gazeta Handlowa" in the city of Poznań.
  • Vademecum ojca (Father's vademecum), 1991 – Aimed at the young fathers on how to raise one's children.
  • "Rząd rżnie głupa" – czyli mowy sejmowe (The government is playing dumb – Sejm's speeches), 1993
  • Wizja parlamentu w nowej konstytucji Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Vision of parliament within the new constitution of a Polish Republic), 1994
  • Kara śmierci (Death penalty), 1995 – Analytical, pro-capital punishment brochure.
  • U progu wolności (At the doorstep of freedom/liberty), 1995 – Combined feuilletons from years 1981–1995, originally published in various sources.
  • Niebezpieczne ubezpieczenia (Dangerous insurances), 2000 – Critical analysis/evaluation of insurances and their negative influences on society's progress.
  • Ekonomikka (Economikks), 2001 – Combined feuilletons on economic subjects, chosen by Zdzisław Kościelak.
  • Rok 2007 (Year 2007), 2001 – An account of fictional letters that JKM would write and send to the world's leaders once elected and in power.
  • Dekadencja (Decadence), 2002
  • Naprawić Polskę, no problem (To fix Poland? No problem!), 2004
  • Podatki – Czyli rzecz o grabieży (Taxes – byword for robbery), 2004 – Critical analysis/evaluation of a state imposed taxes, with focus on Poland.
  • Kto tu dymi? (Who is raising a fuss here?), 2007
  • Rusofoby w odwrocie (Russophobes in retreat), 2009 – Analysis and criticism of Polish foreign policy, with focus on Eastern Europe (Belarus, Ukraine, Russia).
  • Świat według Korwina (World according to Korwin), 2012 – Combined feuilletons.
  • Europa według Korwina (Europe according to Korwin), 2016 – Combined feuilletons, strong criticism of European Union.

References
  1. Gera, Vanessa (10 Oct 2019). "Tension over gay rights moves to fore in Polish election". The Associated Press. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. Rankin, Jennifer (14 Mar 2017). "Polish MEP punished for saying women are less intelligent than men". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. Soguel, Dominique (9 Oct 2019). "When the right wing is still 'too socialist': Poland's far-right unites". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. Melchior, Sigrid (8 May 2017). A Reporter's Guide to the EU. Taylor & Francis. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-138-67862-0. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  5. "Polish presidential election: legalise child pornography". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  6. "How the far-right could be kingmaker in Poland's knife edge presidential election". euronews.com. Euronews. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. "USHERING IN POLAND'S REAGAN DEMOCRATS". sfppr.org. Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  8. "Korwin-Mikke ousted as leader of New Right". thenews.pl. Polskie Radio. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  9. Jakman, Alan (2015-10-22). "Genealogia Janusza Korwin-Mikkego [skany i wywód przodków]". More Maiorum (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  10. Ostaszewski, Krzysztof. "The Market Solution to Economic Development in Eastern Europe" (PDF). Illinois State University. The Edwin Mellen Press. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  11. Cezary Zawalski: Prezes. Janusz Korwin-Mikke – publicysta i polityk. Warszawa: Von Borowiecky, 2003. p. 29-30. ISBN 83-87689-53-X.
  12. Two Lucky People: Memoirs – Milton Friedman, Rose. D. Friedman.
  13. Informacyjna, Polska Agencja (1993). Kto jest kim w polityce polskiej (in Polish). Wydawnictwa Informacyjne PAI. p. 142. ISBN 978-83-223-2645-9.
  14. Pankowski, Rafal; Kornak, Marcin (2005). Mudde, Cas (ed.). Poland. Racist Extremism in Central and Eastern Europe. Routledge. p. 151. ISBN 9781134252527.
  15. "4 czerwca 1992 r. skończyła się wolność. ZOBACZ PIOSENKĘ PAWŁA KUKIZA". NIEZALEZNA.PL. June 4, 2014.
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  18. "Meet the new faces ready to sweep into the European parliament". The Guardian. 26 May 2014.
  19. "Brydż". Lubimyczytać.pl.
  20. Blog Janusza Korwin-Mikke najpopularniejszy w Internecie – blog, Janusz Korwin-Mikke. media2.pl (2012-03-27). Retrieved on 2012-04-06.
  21. Papierz, Magda. "Korwin-Mikke: Potrzebujemy takich przywódców jak Margaret Thatcher! - Najwyższy Czas!". Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  22. "UKIP's Nigel Farage urges 'Judeo-Christian' defence after Paris attacks". 12 January 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
  23. "Podróż do jądra ciemności Janusza Korwin-Mikkego". 2019-11-05.
  24. sihi (2016-07-26), Right-wing: political correctness, Le Pen, antisemitism, intelligence of women, socialism, retrieved 2016-12-29
  25. "Korwin-Mikke tłumaczy holenderskim mediom, że nie jest antysemitą... po angielsku, z "francuskim" akcentem". naTemat.pl.
  26. "Strona nie została odnaleziona | Prawy.pl". prawy.pl.
  27. "Korwin-Mikke w brytyjskiej prasie. O Tusku i Wałęsie ani słowa". wiadomosci.dziennik.pl. April 18, 2013.
  28. "Margaret Thatcher funeral: mourners from far and wide lined the route". The Telegraph.
  29. Szczerbiak, Aleks (10 June 2014). "The Congress of the New Right is the latest anti-establishment party to have success in Poland, but it may struggle to secure long-term support". EUROPP — European Politics and Policy blog. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
  30. Kowal, Pawel. "Awantura u Olejnik. Korwin-Mikke do Kowala: "Gwałt? Kobieta zawsze udaje, że stawia opór".
  31. Graham-Harrison, Emma (8 November 2014). "Nigel Farage's new friend in Europe: 'When women say no, they don't always mean it'". The Guardian/The Observer.
  32. "Women 'weaker, less intelligent' - Polish MEP Korwin-Mikke". BBC. 3 March 2017.
  33. "Polish EU lawmaker says women intellectually inferior to men". ap.org. Associated Press. 3 March 2017. Korwin-Mikke has a history of getting attention for outrageous comments...
  34. "Lawmaker: Women "less intelligent" than men". Retrieved 15 March 2017.
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  37. "Schulz's decision on the inappropriate language of MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke".
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  44. https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-polish-lawmaker-natural-selection-via-pogroms-made-jews-powerful/ Far-right Polish lawmaker: Natural selection via pogroms made Jews powerful
  45. https://www.jpost.com/International/Polish-MP-says-Pogroms-were-good-for-Jews-assisted-natural-selection-619640 Polish MP says pogroms were good for Jews, assisted natural selection
  46. "Korwin-Mikke: nie jestem antysemitą". www.tvp.info.
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