Universal Code of Conduct/Coordinating Committee/Cases/Administrative abuse on plwiki

Parties
Parties	Notifications
BZPN (Filer)	Filer (no diff required)
SkrzydlatyMuflon (Administrator)	[1]

U4C member alert: @U4C: User:0xDeadbeef User:Ajraddatz User:Barkeep49 User:Civvì User:Ghilt User:Ibrahim.ID User:Jrogers (WMF) User:Luke081515 User:Superpes15 BZPN (talk) 09:29, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

BZPN

Description of the problem - (BZPN)

Hello. I would like to report an administrative abuse that I believe has occurred on plwiki. Due to [IMO] the one-sided, biased handling by the local ArbCom and administrators I have lost trust in the local resolution process and am therefore escalating this matter directly to U4C.

On March 17, 2025, my user page on plwiki was locked from further editing by administrator SkrzydlatyMuflon. The notification read as follows:

== Zablokowano Ci możliwość edytowania strony użytkownika ==
Witaj, z powodu ataków osobistych wobec innych użytkowników oraz linkowniu do stron sprzecznych z WP:WE na Twojej stronie postanowiłem zabezpieczyć ją na najwyższy poziom. Jeżeli jeszcze raz będziesz używał języka niezgodnego z Wikipedią, zablokuje Twoje konto oraz pacynki - ponieważ używasz je naprzemiennie. SkrzydlatyMuflon Pisz tutaj 00:42, 17 mar 2025 (CET)

Translation:

== Your user page editing has been locked ==
Hello, due to personal attacks against other users and linking to pages that conflict with WP:WE, I have locked your page at the highest level. If you use language that is not in line with Wikipedia again, I will block your account and alt accounts – because you use them alternately.

This decision was made unilaterally without any prior discussion. The administrator justified the action by alleging that my page contained "personal attacks" and prohibited external links (which, however, are not prohibited anywhere, on the contrary - links to blogs often appear on users' pages). However, the actual content of my user page was as follows:

{{mbox  
|typ=wiadomość  
|tekst='''Zakończyłem swoją działalność w tym projekcie'''. Mam dość ataków w moją stronę, niesprawiedliwości, i lekceważącego podejścia '''[[WP:A|"administratorów"]]'''.  
|grafika={{ikona|czostrzeżenie|35}}}}  
<center>  
{{Przycisk do klikania|url=https://dokuwiki.x10.mx/doku.php?id=start|Zajrzyj tutaj|class=niebieski}}  
</center>  
BZPN odczuwa, że otrzymał "wilczy bilet" od administracji polskojęzycznej Wikipedii.

Translation:

{{mbox  
|typ=wiadomość  
|tekst='''I have ended my work on this project'''. I am fed up with attacks against me, injustice, and disrespect from '''[[WP:A|"the administrators"]]'''.  
|grafika={{ikona|czostrzeżenie|35}}}}  
<center>  
{{Przycisk do klikania|url=https://dokuwiki.x10.mx/doku.php?id=start|Click here|class=niebieski}}  
</center>  
BZPN feels that he received a "wolf ticket" from the Polish Wikipedia administration.

I intentionally wrote that BZPN odczuwa, że otrzymał 'wilczy bilet' (with quotation marks around "wilczy bilet" - this means irony) to indicate that it is a personal expression of how I feel. Quotation marks around "administrators" also indicates irony and is a personal expression, not an accusation. No administrator has the right to control, manage, or remove my personal emotional state. Furthermore, this unilateral action infringes upon my freedom of speech, which is a fundamental right within our community.

In addition:

The administrator had no authority to alter or remove my personal feelings. My internal state is private and cannot be dictated by administrative power.
There was no dialogue or discussion regarding this matter; the decision was imposed solely by the administrator.
The notification included explicit threats of further blocks (which had no justification whatsoever and what's more, are against the local blocking policy); I was also threatened with an alt account block, although it was and is used in accordance with the rules.
There were no actual personal insults or derogatory statements - the allegation of "personal attacks" is unfounded.
The external blog link on my page, while present, is secured (login required) and does not contain any offensive material. Additionally, pl:Wikipedia:Strona użytkownika is a guideline, not a hard policy (a guideline is not a policy); everyone should be treated equally - why was only my user page affected while others (even administrators) have such links? Such discrimination violates the UCoC.
The administrator’s actions clearly violate the Universal Code of Conduct. Specifically, under Section 3 – Unacceptable Behaviour:
- 3.1 Harassment: the use of explicit threats intended to intimidate me exceeds what any reasonable person should be expected to tolerate.
- 3.2 Abuse of power: the attempt to control my personal emotional state (i.e. dictating what I odczuwam), taking away my right to freedom of speech, and abusing permissions to force one's point of view by protecting my own user page is an overreach of administrative authority.
My right to freely express my feelings and opinions is being infringed upon by these administrative actions, which contradict the fundamental principle of freedom of speech that our community stands for.
My right to leave the project was not respected - I ended my activity in the community, but a few days after announcing the end of my activity in the project, my user page was edited and protected; in this situation, I have to solve it.

My attempts to discuss the problem on plwiki ended in failure and lack of broader dialogue, as were my emails with appeals; I was not heard and my arguments were ignored. Also, the administrators' assessment of my activity is very subjective, because I am a globally active user in many projects, and I contribute a lot to Wikimedia projects.

Previous attempts at a solution - (BZPN)

Before filing this request, I:

Raised the issue on user talk page and local noticeboard ([2], [3]), but received more unjustified threats and no meaningful discussion ([4], [5], [6]).
Contacted local administrators directly (via e-mail), but my arguments were ignored and the problem was treated frivolously and mockingly.
Was not given an opportunity to discuss or clarify my personal expression or the secured external link. What's more, I am unable to have a discussion with local administrators because no matter what I say, my specific arguments are ignored.

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Discussion between the involved parties and the U4C members

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Hello @BZPN: have you contacted the pl.arbcom? --Ghilt (talk) 09:36, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Ghilt: hello. I did not contact pl.arbcom because I do not trust it. It is mostly composed of administrators, which creates a conflict of interest and a lack of real independence. I have already submitted two cases there in the past, but things took a long time and were tiring, I encountered a hostile attitude from administrators, and in order not to lead to a conflict, I decided that it would be best to resolve the matter outside ArbCom. I have lost faith in the possibility of solving the case by ArbCom after discussions with the administrators regarding this matter.

After these experiences, I concluded that further attempts to resolve the issue locally would be pointless. That is why I decided to escalate the matter directly here, hoping for a more objective and fair approach. BZPN (talk) 09:47, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hello @BZPN:, In your opinion, what prompted the admin to do this in the first place? What was the reason for the dispute? we need to know what is happened in 5 Dec 2024 (the date you changed you user page).--Ibrahim.ID (talk) 11:07, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Hello @Ibrahim.ID:

To be honest, I was simply burned out. I had enough of everything, and I probably made that change under the influence of emotions. For quite some time, various editors (mainly administrators) had been picking on me - this started sometime after Wikimania 2024, though it was probably unrelated to the event itself (it probably started with conflicts on purely editorial subjects). Eventually, I couldn’t handle the constant criticism anymore. At that time, I had no conflict with administrator SkrzydlatyMuflon. BZPN (talk) 11:17, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I think the admin might have had a grudge against me for reporting this matter to the local ArbCom (which is not directly related to his action, I think). BZPN (talk) 11:22, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I forgot to add to the entire description of the case that administrator SkrzydlatyMuflon without any notification deleted my user subpage pl:User:BZPN/userboksy/Bilet (about 'wilczy bilet') with the description Zbędne, nieużywane (redundant, unused). This action was entirely unjustified, as the page was actively used, and its deletion had no legitimate basis. Meanwhile, his own user subpage (pl:User:SkrzydlatyMuflon/brudnopis4) has remained unused for 11 months yet was not deleted. This is a clear example of unequal treatment. Moreover, such deletions do not reduce server storage or benefit the WMF in any way. BZPN (talk) 11:10, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Barkeep49:, @Civvì:, and other U4C members:

U4C’s scope explicitly includes:

Appeals of enforcement actions related to UCoC violations, unless another high-level body (e.g., ArbCom) is available. However, U4C’s policy does not state that such cases must always be rejected when an ArbCom exists - only that they should be directed there. Given that plwiki’s ArbCom consists mostly of administrators, it lacks independence, creating a structural inability to fairly address admin misconduct.

This case involves UCoC breaches (3.1 harassment, 3.2 abuse of power) by an administrator, including unilateral sanctions without due process, selective enforcement, and threats of further unjustified blocks. By declining jurisdiction, U4C would leave a UCoC violation unresolved, setting a precedent that admins can act with impunity and local editors do not intervene. The local plwiki ArbCom will not deal with the case fairly, I will probably receive emails with requests to withdraw the case (as has already happened in previous cases) and criticism, and such situations will continue to occur. That's why I think U4C should look into this matter. BZPN (talk) 21:03, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The charter says "Except in instances of systemic failures, the U4C will not have jurisdiction when a NDA-signed, high-level decision-making body exists..." So the charter does say that we must reject cases except for systemic failures. The kind of evidence needed to suggest possible systemic failure is the kind presented in the Swahili and Hebrew Wikipedia cases. This case, as frustrating as it is for you, does not present that kind of systemic failure. Barkeep49 (talk) 21:18, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

U4C decision

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U4C member discussion

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There has been no systemic failure and because plwiki has an Arbitration Committee we have no jurisdiction. I'm sorry the filter has lost faith in their ArbCom but we have no authority in this case. Barkeep49 (talk) 16:49, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
+1 --Civvì (talk) 19:12, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
please contact the polish arbitration committee with this matter. --Ghilt (talk) 22:59, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Deepl translation to polish/Deepl tłumaczenie na język polski
Nie doszło do awarii systemowej, a ponieważ plwiki ma Komitet Arbitrażowy, nie mamy jurysdykcji. Przykro mi, że filtr stracił wiarę w swój ArbCom, ale nie mamy uprawnień w tej sprawie. Barkeep49 (talk) 16:49, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply] Prosimy o kontakt w tej sprawie z polską komisją arbitrażową --Ghilt (talk) 10:28, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Motions

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Updates

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This request has been duly noted. On behalf of the U4C, --Ghilt (talk) 10:19, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]