Yesterday (11 May), after 7:00 p.m., Bolesławiec police officers received a report concerning a situation between neighbours during which one of the participants was physically assaulted. The officers’ findings show that a resident of Bolesławiec used a handheld gas sprayer against his neighbour. A gas sprayer is not a gas firearm, and there was no shooting.
– Indeed, it was an object whose shape could resemble a weapon, and someone could have interpreted it that way – explains police spokesperson Anna Kublik-Rościszewska. – However, it is a handheld gas sprayer, for which no permit is required, and anyone can buy one – the police officer adds.
After 10:30 a.m., the Bolec.info portal completely changed the content of its article. The information about firing a gas firearm was displayed approximately 5,000 times. The original information can be seen below.
In March 2020, as part of the Erasmus+ project carried out at I Liceum Ogólnokształcące, media-communication workshops devoted to false information in the media were held. They were conducted by Bolec.info journalist Bernard Łętowski. During the workshops, students were to learn how to filter information, distinguish truth from fake news and become conscious recipients of reliable information. I LO teacher Barbara Jusypenko, who organised the classes, was pleased to have invited a journalist with extensive experience to the programme.