Source: LifeSiteNews.com
A respected Polish sports journalist was suspended from his Olympic commentary for criticizing John Lennon’s song “Imagine.”
Przemysław Babiarz, a veteran of Telewizja Polska (TVP), Poland’s state broadcaster, was suspended from his job on Saturday, July 27 after stating during his Olympic coverage that “Imagine, played during the opening ceremony, expressed “the vision of communism.” The announcement of Babiarz’s punishment was made the following evening on TVP’s “19:30” news program.
According to Polonia Christiana, the TVP press release evoked both the “Olympic idea” of “tolerance” to justify suspending the popular sports announcer.
“Mutual understanding, tolerance, reconciliation: these are not only basic Olympic ideas, they are also the foundation of the standards that guide the new Telewizja Polska (TVP). There is no excuse for violating them,” the press release read.
“We would like to inform you that after his scandalous words yesterday, Przemyslaw Babiarz has been suspended from his duties and will not comment on the contests during the Olympic Games.”
The decision to remove Babiarz was highly controversial. More than 150 current and past Polish Olympic athletes and TVP staff called for his reinstatement. Even Jakub Polkowski, then TVP Sports chief Jakub Kwiatkowski’s second-in-command, publicly supported Babiarz. He has now been fired….