Local residents angrily reacted to the government actions,[16] and, with the state television avoiding reporting on the subject, widespread allegations of a government cover-up began.[17][18] The Polish government said the perpetrators would be severely punished, also blaming opposition politicians such as Donald Tusk and Rafał Trzaskowski, and compared the situation to other previous unrelated events in Warsaw and Gdańsk, where the opposition Civic Platform hold power.[18] Grzegorz Witkowski, a government minister, as well as repeating the government claims, also blamed ecologists and stated that the river is safe to enter.[19] Criticism also fell on the local sheriffs.[5]