Piotr Igor Ikonowicz (, born on May 14, 1956, in Pruszków near

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

) is a Polish politician. A graduate of the faculty of Law and Administration of the

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

and the Institute of Geography of Developing States, in the early 1980s he engaged himself in socialist anti-government activities, for which he was arrested and imprisoned in 1981. Released soon afterwards, following the imposition of the Martial Law in Poland he was again arrested and sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for organization of

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

demonstration independently from the communist authorities. Following the first free elections in post World War II Poland in 1989, Ikonowicz was one of the founders of the new

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' ...

. A member of the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

, in 2000 he unsuccessfully ran in the presidential elections. Currently he was one of the leaders of the

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights ...

party. Ikonowicz is active in ''The Office of Social Justice'' (''Kancelaria Sprawiedliwości Społecznej''), an organisation supporting tenants who can be evicted.

Arrest for taking part in battery

He was arrested in 2000 for assault and battery on a landlord, who evicted a retired couple from their home. Eight years later, after a trial, he was sentenced to 6 months of restricted freedom of movement and obligatory social work. However, Ikonowicz refused to carry out the social work part of his sentence and was sentenced to mandatory 90 days in prison starting on 14 October 2013. He didn't show up to prison, and police had to arrest him on 30 October 2013. He appealed to the president for a pardon, however

Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm, Komorowski exercis ...

refused.

Personal life

Piotr Ikonowicz is a son of the journalist Mirosław Ikonowicz and Russian chef Olga Borkowska. His sister, Magda Gessler, is famous Polish chef and TV personality.''Powrót brata''; Barbara Pietkiewicz, October 21 2000
/ref> Ikonowicz was married with Zuzanna Dąbrowska, a journalist.

References

External links

Ikonowicz - ''Give us jobs, not revenge'' - The Guardian, Monday 15 September 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikonowicz, Piotr 1956 births Living people People from Pruszków Polish socialists Polish people of Italian descent Polish people of Russian descent Eastern Orthodox Christians from Poland Candidates in the 2000 Polish presidential election Members of the Polish Sejm 1993–1997 Members of the Polish Sejm 1997–2001 Polish Socialist Party politicians 20th-century Polish criminals