It has been almost a 4th of a century since the widely understood Polish border movement went out into broad waters and made the issue of commemoration of genocide carried out by the CNS/UPA and related organizations in Poles and many another nations in 1943-47, a nationwide substance from which even political opportunists from parliamentary parties could not escape.
If we accept the beginning of Kresowian's commitment to this work by the end of the 20th century, then the closure of this period will undoubtedly be a success and, unfortunately, besides a trailer of the end, in the form of the large March of Memory in Warsaw. This decline occurred both for nonsubjective biological reasons (the death of leading figures) and due to dangerous political manipulation of the Law and Justice. It was a planned operation to take over the border movement, which ended with failure for the Law and Justice, but it besides struck the Kresovians, who were in a hard position between the staged actions and verbal patriotism of the PiS phrases and the complete rejection of their arguments and sensitivity by the ideological basis of the main opposition forces to the Law and Justice, the environment "Gazeta Wyborcza", highly delicate to all manifestations, mostly imagined, Polish wines, and at the same time exceeding the limits of tolerance for the uncritical acceptance of the tradition of Ukrainian chauvinism, even in its worst peaks.
AD 2023, the year of many anniversaries, the ongoing war, the confusion around Volyn and embarrassing behaviours of PiS representatives, it is worth summing up this period, which for the memory and cognition of the essence of the Ukrainian chauvinist movement, but won more than lost.
I'll start with myself. Where did I come from in an orbit of the border traffic? I don't have any end roots. From the cognition available to me about my family, I know that it is rooted in the present central Poland, frequently called Congresswoman, in Pabianice for 250 years. So I am not a comparative of even the celebrated partisan from Lublin Joseph Laughter "The Tied". But I was raised in a spirit – present I would say – omnipolska, without overemphasis on the alleged tiny homeland, but with a strong emphasis on the large homeland. In my spiritual homeland there is an crucial place for Lviv, Vilnius, Tarnopol, Podolski Stone, but it does not diminish my feelings for Szczecin and Wrocław. In fact, I erstwhile introduced myself to 1 of the border meetings. How does the shell get soaked in young... Yes, I owe much to my late Dad, who most positively “infected” me with Ukrainian/Bander topic, of course seen from the Polish point of view. I'm satisfied that in the last fewer years of his life he's been with me for a fewer border meetings and he's seen the effects of his educational work...
In the Polish People's Republic, the subject of the bander was subject for many reasons, including geopolitical and political limitations, but literature published until 1989 was the basis of my Father's cognition and mine. I will confess that before I read much larger and more celebrated works, I was already after reading “Lun in Bieszczady" by Jan Gerhard. I remember that Dad was incapable to get a technological book at that time “The road to nowhere” by Antoni Szcześniak and Wiesław Szota. It was besides not easy available in public libraries and only – as in our country it happens regardless of the systemic form – after acquaintances, managed to rent it from the University Library in Łódź. At the time, books that were much more accessible were an educational role.Red nights” by Henryk Cybulski (about the defence Furnishing), "Shots at Cisna" by Stanisław Myśliński, whether the books of the left guerrilla and the post-war general/counter Admiral Józef Sobiesiak “Max” (the ‘changes’, ‘Earth burns’, ‘Burzany’, ‘Brigad Grunwald’), as well as many Yellow Tiger series books, as ‘Course for Bieszczady by Tadeusz Dalecki or “Fourteen of Werhraty” by Zbigniew Neugebauer or “To the North of Bieszczady” by Wojciech Sulewski from the little popular series "Minature". In the 1980s, books were published almost as a revelation to those curious in the subject. On the 1 hand, “27 Volhyńska Division of Infantry AK” by Michał Fijałka, on the other, for the first time so strong in the wording and widely-concerning subject of Ukrainian book chauvinism Edward Prusai ‘Władyka Świętajurski’, ‘Heros of Trizuba’ and ‘Attamania UPA’). Plus, of course, the films – the legendary “Firemaster of the Kalen” on the motifs of Gerhard's book and the little well-known but equally excellent “The Broken Bridge”. Both films were made in the early 1960s, and the fact that it is simply a hard subject is evidenced by the fact that these are the only films in which the subject of fighting UPA, and these are only postwar ones, was the main axis of the plot.
Together with Edward Prus' books, views against the author of the “Atamania UPA” appeared, among others. Ryszard Torzecki. It was a sign of the fundamental conflict that is actually taking place in Poland to this day, and which cannot be seen at all. besides in the 1980s, there were texts in the "Wish Week" criticizing Operation "Wisła". The division was slow crystallized, frequently moving across individual political environments. On the 1 hand, he was a derivative of the views of the mainstream Polish post-war emigration, pushing the anti-ZSRR agreement with Ukrainian emigration – nolens volens – in a large part of post-Bander prowess. On the another hand, "Solidarity" as early as 1981 (The sending to people working in east Europe – the 1st "S" convention on 8 September), steered towards emigration views, while later its underground elites stood firm in the gedroytian position. The condemnation of Operation “Wisła”, the opposition to Prussia, included in the national-communist concrete, etc., became a discrimination almost all opposition after the war state. It is no wonder that already in the 3rd Polish Republic, in 1997, a letter-declaration was published in “Culture” condemning Operation “Wisła” signed by almost the full elite of “Solidarity”. I remember the taste with which the individual clearly identifying with “Solidarity” took my destroyed copy of “Lun in Bieszczady” in the bookmaking establishment – I think in 1990... erstwhile I found my perfect place in life in the national movement and began education in this direction among library cymelia, it turned out that 1 of the most prominent precursors of the conflict for fact in the Ukrainian case was Jędrzej Giertych, A truly strong Polish voice among the unilateral political emigration of the mainstream.
And then? Then there were the 1990s, the growth of interest in the Borders, more and more book positions. The first years were an detonation suppressed by decades of feelings, very sentimental, nostalgic, popularity of the end folklore (mainly Lvivian), cabaret, etc. On a serious subject of memory and settlement of the CNS/UPA genocide appeared in the late 20th century. And I found my place in this movement. It made me meet wonderful people. I don't want to miss anyone, I'd gotta spend quite a few space listing all the names that should be exchanged. Therefore, I will limit myself to those that simply request to be replaced, and all those not mentioned in advance I apologize.
Jasna Góra, from the left: Marzena Zawodyńska, Andrzej Laughter, Colonel Jan Niewiński, author, Jarosław Sobczak, Jacek Marczyński
No uncertainty the most crucial individual for me was late Col. Jan Niewiński, a man of power even untold, tireless, always moving forward in the fulfillment of his purposes, without looking at the logs from everywhere cast. The second most crucial individual to me was Dr. Viktor Poliszczuk, a prominent Ukrainian for whom fact was a primal value. He was a titanium enclosed in a tiny body. We were texting each another to the end, until the terminal illness was stronger. Hated by neo-banderists and their Polish totumfatics. erstwhile he died and I wrote about Before a very individual memory, in any forum – I will not forget what – any anonymous “hero” of Bandera wrote that “Laughter has cried, due to the fact that at last Liszczuk died”... At the time, I was moving the website “National Day Day Day” which came from a local, printed Pabianic newsletter of the Polish household League of the same title. We have written a large number of shorter and longer texts on Ukrainian topics.
With Col. Marzena Zawodowska, col. Piotr Kolczyński and with frequent guest in individual of large cognition and culture – Grzegorz Wasiluk from Łódź. Wiktor Poliszczuk sent me all of his texts and agreed to print them on the "One Day Day". The second individual to take place on this page was Dr. Lucyna Kulińska, who we hosted in Pabianice at a successful substantive and turnout meeting. I met specified crucial people for the border movement as Szczepan Siekierka, Ewa Czaszko, Danuta Skalska, Witold Listowski, Bohdan Poręba, General Włodzimierz Kopijkowski, General Mirosław Hermaszewski, Jan Młotkowski From Poznań, with which we made an exhibition in Pabianice, Prof. Leszek Jankiewicz, Prof. Bogumił Grott, Prof. Czesław Partacz, Fr. Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, Peeselows – Jarosław Kalinowski, Franciszek Stefaniuk, Tadeusz Samborski. And always present, if not flesh, it is with the spirit—a good spirit just— Jack Marczyński. That's erstwhile I met myself. Zabyszek Lipinski and col. Jan EngelgardWe've been working together for so many years.
A border gathering in Rembertów. Inside Prof. Wiktor Poliszczuk
I think that I should besides mention a individual outside of the border movement and even outside Poland. I mean... Kevin Hannan, a man with 2 faces – a gentle lecturer from one, and a extremist and sharp polemist from Stojgniew on the other. He came to Poland not only to teach, but fascinated by the Slavic component in his family, he conducted his own search and investigation among the Slavic borderland of Polish-Slovak-Ukrainian. Sadly, any of his ancestors died in a tragic accident on earth.
The border movement has achieved a large deal. His balance is surely affirmative despite his failures. But failure in activities conducted in highly hard conditions, not only against the outside enemy, but besides against the interior enemy, is natural. The most crucial failure was the failure of an effort to change state policy. The planned monument to the victims of the task genocide was besides unsuccessful. Professor Marian Necessary. And another things smaller and larger. But it worked out a lot. The subject of the CNS/UPA genocide through the border movement has won its place in the mainstream, even if this presence is based on full criticism, insults and hatred, no 1 can sweep it under the carpet and turn their backs. To a large extent, we managed to instill simple cognition about this terrible crime in millions of Poles.
And from the point of view of the future, titanic work was done – thanks to scientists and journalists connected with movement and the subject, large advancement was made in research, established or approached the fact in a immense area of issues. There have been countless publications. We have learned the main part of the fact about the Ukrainian chauvinist movement, about its endurance during the Cold War thanks to the CIA and another Westerns, about its “sleeping” by the US in order to usage at a convenient minute against Russia, which has taken place since the alleged orange revolution. This already represents a large and undeniable heritage that will be passed on and served the next generations.
The large accomplishment was besides to make Poles aware that the UN/UPA problem has not only the historical dimension of the unaccounted for crime, but also, and present it must be said that, above all, the current dimension, very bad forecast for the future. It is an unimaginable number of commemorations of the “UN/UPA heroes” in modern Ukraine, in another words the state cult of these. I besides personally contributed to this knowledge, documenting these commemorations during 3 trips to Ukraine, and later presenting effects on the border meetings. This cognition has spread to all Poland, thanks to publications and thanks to the fresh average – the Internet. Millions of Poles present know about this disgrace of the 21st century, which happens in favour of the United States and their vassals in Europe, so affected by the crimes of chauvinism. Memorizing and educating young Ukrainians in the cult of criminals and their ideology of hatred is present a much more crucial problem than exploring further details of the historical crime of CNS/UPA et consortes.
CDN
Adam Laughter
Think Poland, No. 29-30 (16-23.07.2023)
