On the day of the elections for a new pope, shortly after the official announcement was made, EwaWójciak took to her private Facebook profile and wrote: „…and so they elected a prick, who denounced left-wing priests during the military dictatorship in Argentina”.

To Wójciak’s astonishment, her status almost instantly became the cause for a massive media outrage. She was invited onto a show for the local TV channel, where she defended the private character of her Facebook status, while retaining her conviction that the choice made by the Vatican was of scandalous nature. She explained that, regardless of specific cases and their finales in court trials, the Argentinian Catholic Church – including the newly elected pope – had in fact maintained a close relationship with the military dictatorship responsible for mass ‘disappearings’, tortures and deaths of some 30.000 people.
The councilmen of the city of Poznań demanded that the mayor dismisses EwaWójciak from the position of a director of the theatre immediately. Facebook shut down her account. The theatre became flooded with letters filled with threats and insults. Whereas the town hall continues to debate the suitable punishment for EwaWójciak, the right-wing councilmen attack the theatre and its ‘leftist’ character, calling for its shutdown. It turns out that in a democratic country, the authorities expect artist subsidised by local councils to share their official worldview. Especially their catholic beliefs.
The situation appears serious. The witch-hunt against the theatre has been going on for years now. The theatre that has over the past few decades become a hub for lively discussions and debates, a platform for independent, young artists, and an important cultural centre is under constant fire from the local authorities.
There has come yet another critical moment for our theatre, and we kindly ask for your support in the form of an open letter or a petition. One such letter has already been produced and signed by approx. 600 representatives of Polish intelligentsia.
To sign the petition http://www.petycje.pl/petycjePodglad.php?petycjeid=9463
Theatre needs your short comment and any expression of support, sending on address teatr@osmego.art.pl
Web-site of the theatre http://osmego.art.pl/t8d/