Polish General Staff deletes post about protest manipulation — Interia

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces deleted from platform X a post warning about possible external manipulation of public protests. The publication appeared amid tensions surrounding Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, Interia reports. According to the outlet, the post was first reported by the Niezależna.pl portal, which requested comment from the General Staff spokesperson.

Warning about astroturfing

On Monday, the General Staff published a message titled “ASTROTURFING — A DANGEROUS GAME.” In it, the military described mechanisms for manipulating public sentiment and stated that such actions may be used by actors operating to the detriment of state security.

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The message also said that public discontent may be used by external actors to achieve their own goals, which may run counter to Poland’s national interests. The General Staff emphasized the fine line between a democratic demonstration of public discontent and planned operations by actors hostile to the country.

Spokesperson’s reaction

The publication coincided with demonstrations related to the situation around the Constitutional Tribunal, after which it was deleted. General Staff spokesperson Colonel Marek Pietrzak acknowledged that the message had imprudently fit into the current situation.