Civic Platform MP Janusz Palikot claims to have filed a law suit against famed Father Tadeusz Rydzyk for ‘racist commentary,’ referring to a racist jokes the founder of Radio Maryja made about an African missionary.

 While unveiling his mobile phone company in the southern city of Czestochowa, ultra-conservative Catholic Priest Father Tadeusz Rydzyk stated last week: “And, a black man, […] look, he hasn’t completely washed,” in welcoming a group of pilgrims, including a missionary from Africa, to Czestochowa, home of Poland’s religious icon, the Black Madonna.

 The founder of Radio Maryja and entrepreneur, Rydzyk was welcoming a wave of pilgrims to the shrine over the airwaves. The offensive joke was met by a laugh from its target, who proceeded to thank the radio for everything he had learned about Poland.

The center-right politician Palikot  wrote on his blog that “I am exhausting all interpretations of the conditions set for in Article 257 in the penal code that mandates the behavior of public figures regarding nationality, ethnic and racial displays.” Palikot added that the “suggestion that a black man is ‘dirty’ shows one’s boorishness to the point of ridiculousness.”

Palikot wrote that Rydzyk’s choice of words were deliberate, showing his racist tendencies and cannot be tolerated from someone who is constantly in the public eye. (mmj)