The incident took place during the night of August 30–31. (We were the first to report on it TRUTHFULLY in the article Illegal Party in the Middle of the Forest near Osiecznica).
A group of around 100 people (Germans, Poles, Slovaks, French, Italians, Czechs and Dutch) drove trucks into the forest managed by the Świętoszów Forest District. Forest District:
The incident took place near the village of Parowa, by the so-called “Golden Road” and the “Święte Jezioro” Ecological Site, which forms part of the Natura 2000 area.
Party in Parowa
Forest management:
These people, describing themselves as “involved in promoting respect for nature,” disregarded not only nature but also the fact that, for many Poles, the period on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II is a time of traumatic memories, and organized a picnic in the middle of the forest complex—with large amounts of alcohol and possibly other substances. A music stage was set up, and they held a “dance party” at decibel levels that kept residents of the village of Parowa, nearly 5 km away, from sleeping!
The quantity of cigarettes smoked and cigarette butts left behind cannot go unmentioned.
None of the participants considered that using open flames while in their condition posed a huge risk of a forest fire. With the drought, temperatures above 30°C and the wind, disaster was just waiting to happen. To make matters worse, the partygoers did not intend to obey the law, leave the forest area, submit to inspection or accept a fine.
What happened next? Forest District employees:
The participants’ arrogance and aggressive behavior forced Forest Service employees to ask the police for support. Branches and bottles were thrown at the responding police officers. The vast majority of those attending this “gathering” were intoxicated. Only reinforced police forces managed to identify around 50 participants, while the Forest Guard issued fines totaling PLN 11,000.
The sound system was switched off and dismantled. Only a few participants were able to get behind the wheel and leave the forest area. The others did not leave until the following day—after sobering up.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. The Forest District, on its own behalf and that of the local community, thanked the police for their support. The foresters added: “The forest is a place for everyone seeking peace and quiet, contact with nature and respect for it. It would have been enough for the party participants to understand these obvious truths and comply with the Forest Guard’s requests and orders. Everything could have unfolded differently.”
More information and photos are available on the Facebook profile of the Świętoszów Forest District.