Majority of Poland's ruling class is anti-European says opposition leader

Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, Poland's largest opposition grouping, has accused the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) of wanting to take Poland out of the European Union, adding that many of the country’s leaders are anti-European.

Tusk made the claim during a meeting on Friday with teachers in the southern town of Siemianowice Śląskie.

Attacking PiS, Tusk said when it comes to the EU some of its ruling elite stand "sideways on, and some of them with their backs turned to Europe... but generally, no one in PiS will openly say that they want Poland to leave the EU."

"But they use such slippery words," he added. "'Yes to the EU, but not as it is', 'we do not want to leave, but it is supposed to be a loose union of nation states'," Tusk said.

He argued that these are "the spells they cast to hide the fact that the majority of today's ruling class is de facto anti-European."

Tusk warned that soon Poland may be ruled by people who will make no secret of their intention to take Poland out of the EU.

"The (far-right party - PAP) Confederation is also growing stronger... it can be a serious enough political force to form a government with PiS," he said, adding that five slogans promoted by the party were: Poland without Jews, Poland without gays, Poland without abortion, Poland without taxes and Poland without the EU.

"It depends on our efforts whether we will protect Poland from the rule of already overt misogynists who despise women, xenophobes who are no longer sceptical, but contemptuous and aggressive, and people who do not hide the fact that their political goal is to lead Poland out of the EU," he added

In Tusk's opinion, "due to stupidity, the lack of imagination and bad will of far-right politicians... we can find ourselves outside the EU."

He argued that "this is a really realistic prospect."