Berkowicz: "inżynier" opluł chrześcijan. Ale zmyśla

In late June 2026, Polish politician Konrad Berkowicz, a member of the Confederation party, posted a video on social media that sparked significant controversy. The clip depicted a group of individuals praying on a street, with a black man appearing behind them. According to Berkowicz’s description, the man spat on the praying crowd and attempted to disrupt their activity. He claimed this incident occurred in France and suggested it was a case where a Christian was confronted by an aggressor who tried to stop them from praying. However, as revealed later, the narrative presented by Berkowicz did not align with the actual circumstances surrounding the footage.

The video in question had been uploaded on August 3, 2016, near the Church of Saint Rita in Paris. This church, however, was not a traditional Roman Catholic cathedral but rather a building originally constructed in the early 20th century as part of a small religious movement unrelated to the Catholic Church. By the end of the 1980s, it came under the control of Gallicans—Catholics independent of the Vatican. Over time, the site gained attention due to its unique practices, such as blessing animals during ceremonies. Nevertheless, the structure was never officially recognized by the Parisian diocese.

In 2010, city authorities determined that the building lacked historical or architectural significance and contained hazardous asbestos. As a result, plans were made to demolish the structure. The property was sold to a developer intending to construct residential units there. In response, right-wing groups protested against the decision, leading to the illegal occupation of the church by a loosely organized group described by French television station TF1 as “fundamentalist Catholics.” These individuals formed what they called a “zone a defendre” (ZAD), a term used to describe areas occupied by activists, often associated with environmental movements. However, the Church of Saint Rita became known as a “ZAD d’extrême droite,” reflecting the far-right leanings of some of its occupants.

The situation escalated when the occupying group refused to vacate the premises despite official warnings. On August 3, 2016, tensions reached a peak when one of the protesters, identified as a black man, appeared in the video. Contrary to Berkowicz's claim, he did not spit on the praying individuals. Instead, a man among the praying group stood up and struck the black man with his fist, knocking him down. This sequence of events contradicted the narrative presented by Berkowicz, who had altered both the context and the actions attributed to the individuals involved.

The video initially circulated on a Polish-language Facebook page, where it was accompanied by similar descriptions suggesting that an immigrant had spat on the praying Christians. It received over 50,000 views before being shared by Berkowicz on X (formerly Twitter), where it garnered more than 180,000 views and over 800 shares. Many users praised the aggressive reaction of the praying man, interpreting it as a justified response to perceived aggression. Some comments even supported the idea that the black man was an immigrant trying to undermine peaceful gatherings.

Despite the widespread sharing of the video, the true nature of the incident remained obscured until further investigation uncovered the discrepancies between the original footage and Berkowicz's account. The original context indicated that the conflict arose from the illegal occupation of the church and the subsequent confrontation between the occupants and the local community. The presence of the black man in the video was not related to spitting on the praying individuals but rather to the broader issue of the church's occupation and the ensuing unrest.

As the story unfolded, it became clear that Berkowicz had manipulated the narrative to fit a particular political message. His portrayal of the incident as an example of an immigrant attacking Christians was misleading and omitted crucial details about the underlying causes of the conflict. This manipulation of information raised questions about the accuracy of other claims made by Berkowicz and highlighted the importance of verifying the context behind viral content before disseminating it widely.

The incident also drew attention to the broader issues surrounding misinformation in digital spaces. With the rapid spread of videos and images online, the potential for misinterpretation and deliberate distortion increases significantly. This case serves as a reminder of the need for critical thinking and thorough verification when engaging with content that appears to depict sensitive or controversial situations.