In early September, the website of the European Conservative was still online. When I opened it on Sept. 23, all I got was a message: “503 Service Unavailable.” I knew the feeling. On Dec. 20, 2023, my access pass for Poland’s public broadcaster, TVP, stopped working. I was not on staff, but I was under contract as a regular commentator and columnist. I waited almost three years before writing about it.

In Poland, Dec. 13 is not an ordinary date. On that day in 1981, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski imposed martial law to crush the Solidarity movement. Telephones went silent, and a general in uniform appeared on television. On Dec. 13, 2023, Donald Tusk’s government was sworn in.