Przemysław Babiarz, a sports commentator working for Poland’s public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) for over 30 years, has been suspended after reacting to a performance of John Lennon’s Imagine by calling it “a vision of communism.”
The song was performed by French singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet during the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony and was accompanied by French musician Sofiane Pamart on piano on Friday (July 26).
TVP issued a statement on Saturday saying that Babiarz would no longer be allowed to comment on air during the Olympics.
Released in 1971, Imagine is a plea for peace, inviting the listener to envision a world with no divisions among humankind – no nationality, religion, war, or personal possessions.
Polish journalist Przemysław Babiarz has been banned from commenting at the 2024 Olympic Games on state-owned TV after linking the lyrics of Imagine to communism
Image credits: Lars Baron/Getty Images
“It’s not a new message, ‘Give Peace a Chance’ — we’re not being unreasonable, just saying, ‘Give it a chance…Can you imagine a world without countries or religions?’ It’s the same message over and over. And it’s positive,” Lennon said of the hit during an interview for Playboy in September 1980, two months before he was murdered.
The iconic song was written by Lennon and his former wife, Yoko Ono.
“A lot of it—the lyrics and the concept—came from Yoko,” Lennon explained at the time, as per the BBC. “It was right out of Grapefruit, her book. There’s a whole pile of pieces about ‘Imagine this’ and ‘Imagine that.’”
For instance, one poem from Yoko’s book reads, “Imagine the clouds dripping; dig a hole in your garden to put them in.”
Telewizja Polska (TVP) issued a statement on Saturday announcing that the 60-year-old sports journalist had been suspended
“I know she helped on a lot of the lyrics but I wasn’t man enough to let her have credit for it. So that song was actually written by John and Yoko, but I was still selfish enough and unaware enough to take her contribution without acknowledging it,” he admitted.
More than 40 years after its release, Yoko was formally recognized as co-writer of the peace anthem with a songwriting credit, the National Music Publishers Association announced after playing the clip of the Beatles member praising his former wife’s work on the song.
Babiarz began working at the television network over 30 years ago
The song was performed at the biggest sporting event in the world on multiple occasions. Stevie Wonder first sang it at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Ten years later, Peter Gabriel followed suit during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy.
At the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, artists Ha Hyun-woo of Guckkasten, Ahn Ji-young of K-pop duo Bolbbalgan4, Jeon In-Kwon of Deulgukhwa, and solo star Lee Eun-mi took turns singing the verses of the song.
John Legend also performed it with Angélique Kidjo, Keith Urban, and Alejandro Sanz via a recording at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games featured a performance of Imagine by French singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet
Dziękuję red. Babiarzowi za głos rozsądku i uczciwości w tym politpoprawnym szaleństwie. pic.twitter.com/raqevOga2w
— Beata Szydło (@BeataSzydlo) July 26, 2024
At the 2012 Olympics in London, England, the song was remastered, featuring Lennon’s vocals accompanied by a choir from his hometown of Liverpool.
Reacting to Armanet’s performance, Babiarz said, “A world without heaven, nations and religions. This is a vision of peace that is to encompass everyone. This is a vision of communism, unfortunately.”
TVP said in its statement announcing his suspension, “Mutual understanding, tolerance, reconciliation – these are not only the basic ideas of the Olympics, they are also the foundation of the standards that guide the new Polish Television. There is no consent to violate them.”
“A world without heaven, nations, and religions. This is a vision of peace that is to encompass everyone. This is a vision of communism, unfortunately,” said Babiarz
In Poland, state media was used as a political battleground to promote the ideas of right-wing populists during the period from 2015 to 2023, when this sector of society governed the country.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist politician whose broad coalition took power in December 2023, acted quickly to remove this group’s control of the airwaves, ABC News reported.
Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was among the conservative politicians who denounced TVP’s sanction of Babiarz. “The truth will defend itself! Your actions will be remembered, and censorship will fail,” he wrote on X.
Poland was under communist rule from the end of World War II until 1989. During this period, the country was heavily influenced and controlled by the Soviet Union, which occupied its territory and had significant control over its administration.
The Sovietization of Poland, accompanied by terror, included the nationalization of industry and the expropriation of privately owned land parcels larger than 125 acres (50 hectares), as per Britannica.
Citizens were allocated quotas for food, such as bread, meat, sugar, and oil, particularly during periods of economic difficulty and political unrest, like the 1980s.
“Most stores were small, with one salesperson. The product range was limited; only the basic products (one type of bread, buns, and baguettes) could be found. There were also characteristic months when there were so few products that everything disappeared instantaneously. Only vinegar was left. There was always vinegar,” recalled Karolina Szamańska, the author of Stores in the Polish People’s Republic.
There were also significant shortages of housing, leading to long waiting lists for apartments. Media, literature, and the arts were subject to strict censorship, though some underground activities persisted.
Released in 1971, John Lennon’s iconic song is widely regarded as a peace anthem and has been performed at the Olympics several times
Furthermore, the communist government implemented policies aimed at reducing the influence of religion in public life. However, they did not completely succeed in limiting the Catholic Church, which remained a powerful force of the opposition.
In Imagine, the lyric “and no religion too” was reportedly inspired by a book Lennon was given by comedian Dick Gregory about positive prayer.
“If you can imagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion…without this ‘my God-is-bigger-than-your-God’ thing, then it can be true,” said Gregory.
Thus, the phrase seems to suggest not censorship but peace achieved through respect for all beliefs, where no one imposes their faith on others.
In 1988-1989, amid worsening economic conditions and growing public unrest, the government initiated negotiations with leaders of the Solidarity opposition movement, marking the beginning of Poland’s transition to democracy.
People reacted to the journalist’s interpretation of Imagine as a vision of communism
