"It is us, our ideas, including patriotism, that must be mainstream. This must be the mainstream of social-political life in Poland and there is no reason to feel any shame or embarrassment. I believe that we will be able to wake up this dormant “patriot giant” in Poles," said Bartosz Malewski, president of the Association of Independence.
Nationals.net: How long have you been active with the March of Independence?
Bartosz Malewski: This coincides with the beginning of my activity in the All Poland Youth, that is in 2012. At the time I was on the March for the first time, then I was inactive alone, but since 2013, being president of the Lublin Youth territory of All Poland, together with the All Poles we organized annually on 11 November organized trips to Warsaw. At the turn of 2017 and 2018, I joined the Board of the independency March Association as a associate of that body and served this function continuously until 19 February 2023, that is, until the day I was appointed president of the Management Board.
The password of this year's MN is “Poland has not died yet”. Why specified a choice?
There's quite a few reasons. First of all, it is simply a universal slogan and so large in terms of interpretative possibilities that everyone can sign it and realize it in their own way. These are the words we all know, the words from which we start our national anthem. In this way, we invitation everyone who is close to the ideals of independency and sovereignty of Poland to participate, and I believe that Poles who sincerely want to lose these values are few.
We emphasize these words to pay peculiar attention to the value of surviving in our own country, a country that is inactive independent and sovereign. It was not apparent to our ancestors, and it is not apparent to our descendants. We note that independency and sovereignty are not values of data forever, they cannot be apparent to us.
We are watching what is happening in the world, and we do not gotta look far. We've had a war in Ukraine for over a year, where Russia is an unquestionable aggressor. We know that this conflict already affects Poland. There's inactive a hazard he'll contact us directly. In a time of plush pacifism, erstwhile social indicators of the readiness of armed defence of the homeland are drastically low, we remind that in life there are ideals worth fighting for, if essential – as our fathers and grandparents did. They were willing to give their lives for freedom to our generation. Now our function is to take care of this freedom.
We besides point out that step by step, by way of salami patches, Poland is stripped of sovereignty. The European Union has been spreading its elbows and legs in the Polish legal and political area for years. Poland, by decision of all subsequent governments of the 3rd Republic of Poland, moves decision-making into the hands of European officials whom no of us chose. It is besides very likely that the EU treaties will be amended and that the rule of unanimity will be replaced by a majority vote, as Germany is seeking.
So we see crucial threats to independency as well as to Poland's sovereignty, and we cannot capitulate from the challenge of their defence. Only thanks to our activity today, only with a clear, decisive, pro-liferency attitude, we will be able to proceed to talk and sing proudly: “Poland has not died yet!”
How you measure the possible of this year's independency March. Do you anticipate a large turnout due to social sentiment?
The fact is that we are never able to foretell precisely what the March of independency will be like in a given year. By 11 November, there were 3 weeks left. There's inactive a lot that can happen at this time, especially since we're fresh out of the election. The power is likely to be taken over by the opposition of the centreleft and the strict left. This does not substance due to the fact that these likely political changes mean speeding up federalisation processes in the EU. Suddenly, just after the election, erstwhile their consequence is known, journalists and journalists of Polish-language media about German capital return with the slogan “United States of Europe”. We see increasing concern about this fact in the Polish people, and I am convinced that Poles will express it just during the March of Independence. So we will definitely see at least as many white and red flags on the streets of Warsaw on 11 November as in erstwhile years.
Can the March of independency awaken again in Polish society “a fashion for patriotism”?
Such a "fashion for patriotism" expressed, among another things, in the form of clothes with patriotic motifs was visible especially in 2012-2015. In time, this began to be unfairly ridiculed. Let us not let ourselves be told that eagle or white and red colors on the sweatshirt are passe. Americans, British, French feel no shame wearing national colors. Why are we Poles trying to make a feeling of shame, due to the affirmative feeling towards our own nation and state and the natural request for public manifestation of it?
There's besides our own fault. We frequently complain about mainstream, setting ourselves in the other camp to the mainstream. any of us feel arrogant that they have separated themselves from the planet and appear to be the only patriotic and national. That's how we make ourselves marginalized. We request to change our thinking. It is us, our ideas, including patriotism, that must be mainstream. This must be the mainstream of social-political life in Poland and there is no reason to feel any shame or embarrassment. I believe that we will be able to awaken this dormant "patriot giant" in the Poles.
Have we managed to “clean up” after Robert Bąkiewicz in the Association of independency March? What's the chance of getting all the stuff from SMN back?
The scale of matters to be arranged is so large that this process continues. The erstwhile president left the Association with cleared accounts and debts. He didn't even pay off any of his associates. Interestingly, any of those he hasn't repaid proceed to cooperate with. First of all, we slow and successively effort to settle these claims in instalments and adjust them, but it will take time.
Another substance is the assets of the Association. any of the equipment was recovered, but not all. We have directed and directed calls to the erstwhile president and his colleagues for the release of assets, but they stay unanswered. We have so besides filed a notification of a number of crimes, including misappropriation. The case has its course, but due to the good conduct, I am not going to go into the details right now. We will surely return everything that is the property of the Association.
Here I thank all those who support the Association financially. It is thanks to donors that we can slow appear from the “inherited” problems. Our predecessors for their duties in the Association charged remuneration. We are doing our work to organize these matters and to prepare the upcoming independency March in a voluntary way, without taking on the title or gold, spending many long evenings and nights on it, due to the fact that during the day we each work professionally. But we have determination, due to the fact that the March of independency is worth the sacrifice.
You were a candidate for a Confederate senator. Were you not afraid of charges of politicizing the MN?
Yeah, I ran for my household territory in Podlasie. I won 14,084 votes, which translated into 14.08% support, but I failed to win a senatorial mandate. According to the forecasts, due to the fact that in the conditions of single-mandate constituency, with the dominance of the 2 largest groups – PiS and PO – it was certain that the mandate would go into the hands of a typical of 1 of these parties. But I don't think it's fair to give the field to centre politicians. As nationalists, if we want to extend our influence on reality, we must participate in political life. A drop digs a rock. Besides, for individual who has been active in the socio-political sphere for over a decade, active participation in elections is simply a natural path. I started with a advice from the National Movement, whose uprising was announced during the 2012 independency March. In this sense, the March of Independence, after trying to lead this initiative towards the ruling centre party, returns to its ideological roots. During the campaign, however, I did not usage the sign of the March of Independence, I did not build my popularity on this ground. I will say more – I did not run as actively as the another candidates, precisely due to the fact that the precedence was and inactive is the independency March and it is here that I primarily engage my time and energy. I would like to emphasise that the independency March remains primarily a social and bottom-up initiative and the success of this event depends primarily on its participants who have different political sympathy, but what unites them is Poland in their heart.
