Piotr Paweł Szczęsny (6 July 1963,
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
– 29 October 2017,
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
) was a Polish chemist and a
Mensa member who committed
suicide by immolation in protest against the policies of the ruling
Law and Justice
Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
government.
Education and career
He studied chemistry at
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
and became a member of the
Independent Students' Union
Independent Students' Association (, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity). It was a student arm, or suborganization ...
. He worked in the 1980s in the "
Solidarność
Solidarity (, ), full name Independent Self-Governing Trade Union "Solidarity" ( , abbreviated ''NSZZ „Solidarność”''), is a Polish trade union founded in August 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Polish People's Rep ...
" union federation. After graduation, he remained as an assistant at the university, and began his doctoral thesis. After 1989, he left the university and became co-founder of a publishing house, which edited manuals on chemistry. For ten years, he held the post of Chairman of a Society for Continuing Vocational Training. He worked as a consultant on business issues. In 2016 he closed his company.
Self immolation
He burned himself as a sign of political protest. On 19 October 2017, he entered the
Parade Square
Parade Square () is a square in downtown Warsaw, laying between Świętokrzyska Street to the north, Aleje Jerozolimskie to the south, Marszałkowska Street to the east and the monumental Palace of Culture and Science to the west. With of ...
in front of the
Palace of Culture and Science
The Palace of Culture and Science (; abbreviated ''PKiN'') is a notable high-rise building in central Warsaw, Poland. With a total height of , it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland (after the Varso Tower), the sixth talle ...
, played the song , distributed copies of a self-produced leaflet, poured flammable liquid over himself and set himself on fire. He died in the
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
ten days later. Following Szczęsny's death, the government media declared him mentally unstable. Piotr Szczęsny was buried on 14 November 2017 at the Kraków
Salwator Cemetery
Salwator Cemetery (), is a historic cemetery in the Salwator neighborhood of Kraków located west of the city centre. It was consecrated in 1865.
History
The Salwator Cemetery is also known as the Zwierzyniecki Cemetery for its location in the ...
in the presence of thousands of mourners from all over Poland.
Szczęsny lived in
Niepołomice
Niepołomice (pronounced ) is a town in southern Poland, seat of Gmina Niepołomice in the Wieliczka County in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.
It is situated on the Vistula River, on the verge of the large virgin Niepołomice Forest.
There is ...
; his wife is a pharmacist and their two children were studying for their doctorates.
He was not involved in any political action of the Polish opposition and had suffered from depression for the last eight years of his life.
In a letter to his family, he stated that his deed was not motivated by his condition.
Szczęsny's suicide received considerable publicity and a march held to honour him was attended by several hundred people.
See also
*
Ryszard Siwiec
Ryszard Siwiec (; 7 March 1909 – 12 September 1968) was a Polish accountant and former Home Army resistance member who was the first person to die by self-immolation in protest against the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Although his ac ...
*
Romas Kalanta
Romas Kalanta (22 February 1953 – 14 May 1972) was a 19-year-old Lithuanian high school student who killed himself by self-immolation in an act of protest against the Soviet regime in Lithuania. His death provoked the largest post-war riots ...
*
List of political self-immolations
This is a list of notable people who committed self-immolation
Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest or in acts of martyrdom, and known for ...
References
External links
Ja, zwykły, szary człowiek wolność kocham ponad wszystko – list do rodaków Mourning Poland’s Anti-Populist Martyr 26 October 2017Polish Man Dies After Setting Self On Fire In Protest 30 October 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szczesny, Piotr
Polish chemists
Mensans
Suicides by self-immolation
Suicides in Poland
1963 births
2017 suicides
2017 deaths