Sławomir Mentzen

Sławomir Jerzy Mentzen (born 20 November 1986) is a Polish right-wing libertarian politician,[1] entrepreneur, and tax advisor. He serves as the chairman of the New Hope party and as one of the leaders of the Confederation Freedom and Independence.[2][3]

Sławomir Mentzen
Chairman of New Hope
Assumed office
15 October 2022
Preceded byJanusz Korwin-Mikke
Personal details
Born (1986-11-20) November 20, 1986
Toruń, Poland
Political party
Children3
Alma materNicolaus Copernicus University (Lic.), (PhD)

Early life and education

Mentzen was born in Toruń, Poland. He graduated with a Licentiate in Theoretical Physics and a PhD in Economics at the Nicolaus Copernicus University. His doctoral thesis, which he defended in 2015, concerned the issue of public debt.[4]

Business career

He runs several accounting offices and owns a tax consultancy office as well as a hunting shop and a craft brewery.[5] He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Toruń and the National Chamber of Tax Advisors.

Political career

Mentzen began his political career in 2007 by joining the Real Politics Union (UPR), serving for two years as the president of the party's branch in Toruń before suspending his activities within the party. He decided to re-enter politics after the success of Paweł Kukiz in 2015, as he tried to get on the electoral lists of the Kukiz'15 party.

In 2017, Mentzen was elected vice chairman of Janusz Korwin-Mikke's New Hope party, at the time still called KORWiN. He had already held important functions in the party's structures, as he was the president of the Toruń district and the chairman of the party's scientific council. In the 2018 local elections, he ran for president of Toruń. He came in fifth place with 3.94% of the votes. In October 2022, he became the new chairman of the New Hope party after Korwin-Mikke stepped down.

Mentzen is the most popular Polish politician on TikTok, with over 40 million views.[6]

On 17 September, 2023, less than a month before the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms, banned Mentzen's account with over 340 thousand followers in a move branded as electoral interference by Mentzen and various members of the opposing ruling United Right coalition.[7]

Political stance

Mentzen is known for seeking to establish his party as a national conservative force, despite being often labeled as far-right by the media and critics. He has been a vocal critic of the European Union, advocating for Poland's exit from the union. Recently, Mentzen has shifted his focus to economic matters, expressing concern about the weight of taxes and the extent of welfare spending. These issues have become central to his political agenda, resonating with voters who share similar concerns about the country's fiscal policies.[8]

Controversies

Just prior to the 2019 European Parliament election, while mocking the "Five points of PiS", Mentzen gave a controversial political marketing lecture in which he proclaimed the unofficial so-called "Five points of Confederation" as follows: "We do not want Jews, homosexuals, abortions, taxation and the European Union."[9][10][11] He later argued that the comments were taken out of context.[12]

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Mentzen criticized the government's decision to impose a ban on Russian coal imports as part of the sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. He states that this move was a wrong step by the Polish authorities, particularly considering the coal shortage and high prices the country is currently facing. Poland heavily relies on coal for its energy needs, with 66% of its energy mix coming from coal, and about 46% of Poles heating their houses with coal. Mentzen argued that the origin of the coal should not matter to consumers, emphasizing that the priority should be ensuring affordable and accessible heating options, especially for vulnerable individuals like the elderly.[13]

Personal life

Mentzen is married and has three children. He is of German descent, as his paternal great-grandfather was German.[14] His father, Mieczysław Mentzen, teaches mathematics at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.[15]

References
  1. "Polish ref cleared of wrongdoing, will take charge of Champions League final". TVP World. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. "Sławomir Jerzy Mentzen – dane z KRS", Rejestr.io
  3. "Sławomir Mentzen", Wirtualna Polska, 23 April 2019
  4. https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/slawomir-mentzen-6373416435783297c
  5. https://plotkibiznesowe.pl/2020/11/20/slawomir-mentzen-konfederacja-zalozyl-browar-i-bedzie-sprzedawac-piwo/
  6. https://polityka.co.pl/polityka-na-tiktoku-kogo-najchetniej-ogladaja-uzytkownicy-aplikacji-w-czolowce-konfederacja-1269857.html
  7. Wojciechowski, Błażej. "Lider Konfederacji stracił konto na Instagramie w środku kampanii". antyweb.pl. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  8. Pikulicka-Wilczewska, Agnieszka; Pawlak, Justyna. "Tax adviser turned political firebrand emerges as possible Polish kingmaker". Reuters. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  9. Ferfecki, Wiktor. "Prokuratura ściga za nieoficjalne hasło Konfederacji. Chodzi o słowa Mentzena". rp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  10. "Mentzen: i kto tu jest szurem?". YouTube (in Polish). namzalezy.pl. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  11. Syal, Rajeev (1 June 2023). "Champions League final referee 'spoke at event with far-right leader'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  12. "Mentzen: piątka Konfederacji to nie są moje poglądy. No to przypominamy". Konkret24 (in Polish). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  13. Krzysztoszek, Aleksandra. "Polish new far-right leader wants Russian coal imports to resume". euractiv. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  14. "Mentzen o swoim pochodzeniu". YouTube. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  15. https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1972828,1,slawomir-mentzen--strateg-konfederatow.read
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