Polish MP sparks scandal by posting photo of caught tuna on holiday

Izabela Bodnar, a member of the Polish Sejm from the Unia Centrum party, found herself at the center of a public scandal after posting a photo on social media from her vacation in Spain. The image shows her posing next to two large tuna caught while fishing. The post was published on the eve of the World Cup final, with Bodnar wishing the Spanish team "such success as in tuna fishing during our Spanish holidays."

The post quickly drew criticism. Within the first 15 hours, it accumulated over 1,100 comments on platform X, most of which were negative. Polsat News journalist Agnieszka Gozdyra asked, "how much lack of style and empathy one must have" to not only take such a photo but also publish it.

In response, Bodnar argued that the criticism was hypocritical, as people who eat sushi also consume fish caught by someone. However, the journalist reminded her that in October 2023, the MP publicly advocated for animal rights and supported the organization "Open Cages," which focuses on animal welfare.

Publicist Jan Szpewak sarcastically commented that "obviously, the wealthy in Poland really pay too low taxes." Journalist and publicist Jakub Woch proposed a "guide for politicians," advising them not to post photos from expensive vacations inaccessible to most of society, nor images of dead animals.

Bodnar continued to defend her stance, stating that every sushi, every fish or cutlet comes from a killed or caught animal, and called on those outraged to switch to vegetarianism. Otherwise, she argued, they have no grounds to condemn her actions.

It is worth recalling that in June, Poland decided to deport a Ukrainian citizen who caused widespread outrage by taking a giant catfish as a trophy from Warsaw's Lake Balaton, violating local regulations. Earlier, the man faced charges for fishing during a banned season and transporting the catch without water, which is considered animal cruelty.