I deliberately and deliberately did not comment on the media's attack on Konrad Berkovich, in connection with his message of parliament, in which he compared Israel's military actions to the genocide practices of the 3rd Reich.
First, due to the fact that I like to comment on events from a certain time position so as not to give in to unnecessary emotions. Secondly, due to the fact that the hysterical responses to Mr Berkovich's speech were not individual and informal in nature, but could be put into a broader context of the pursuit of alleged "anti-Semitism" and the stigma of "anti-Semits". This is experienced by all those who critically, comparatively under-promisely talk of the State of Israel and the "chosen nation." In a very simple way, it can be said that anti-Semites are not recognized as those who dislike Jews, but those who dislike Jews.
What did Mr Berkovich do to become the subject of political fire? He condemned the criminal practices of the Israeli armed forces, including attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure. In order to increase the means of expression, he utilized the converted flag of Israel with the swastika inscribed. It should be stressed that Israel's criminal acts are no secret to anyone. Suffice to say that the United Nations has confirmed the repeated usage of white phosphorus in the south of Lebanon, a substance causing deep and hard to cure burns, tissue necrosis and interior organ damage. The usage of this substance was confirmed in attacks on a vicinity in the city of Johmor, and earlier akin attacks occurred in the Gaza Strip. In accordance with Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition or regulation of the usage of Certain Conventional Weapons, the usage of white phosphorus as a weapon against civilians and inhabited areas is prohibited. That's it. That's it. However, that was adequate for Berkovich's speech to be considered an global scandal. Konrad Berkowicz was branded by the Ministry of abroad Affairs and Israeli and United States Ambassadors. The MP was besides punished by the Bureau of the Sejm for losing half of his parliamentary salary, and the territory Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw carried out its own investigations.
Previously, the subject of mass attacks of anti-Semitism trackers was the leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown, Grzegorz Braun, who repeatedly addressed the Israeli crimes in the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the failure of the Western planet to respond to genocide. Besides, accusations of anti-Semitism besides appeared due to Braun's active opposition against celebrating the judaic festival of Hanuki in the Polish Seyma building. The majority did not then wonder why and on what legal basis in the seismic building the Khanuk candles ignited, but why they were put out. By the way, I didn't hear Christmases being sung in Kneset and shared a wafer...
In the III Republic of Poland, becoming an anti-Semite is easy. It is adequate to challenge the communicative spread by certain circles, according to which Poles were jointly liable for the Holocaust. All you gotta do is argue judaic property claims, which included the celebrated Act 447. It is adequate to remind the facts about the nationality structure of the safety apparatus in the times of the Bermanowszczyzna, when, according to very careful data, nearly 40% of people in management positions in MBP had judaic background (although after the war Jews constituted only 1% of the Polish population). Just have a separate opinion on March 1968 events. And anti-Semitism charges endanger at least political ostracism. Of course, it can end with criminal charges if criticism is interpreted as a public incitement to hatred against national, cultural or racial differences (Article 256 of the Criminal Code), or a public insult to a individual or group of persons due to their national or cultural affiliation (Article 257 of the Criminal Code). And that's what is easy in Polish realities.
The authoritative promotion of rusophobia is the other of the very Philosopher's communicative in Polish politics. The above-mentioned provisions of the Criminal Code, which criminalise chauvinist and xenophobic behaviours, may not apply if they are directed against the Russians. Both social media and websites are full of insulting and offensive Russian entries, and I have not heard of any case of being held liable by their authors. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War, there were many acts of hostility towards Russians in public space. 1 example of this was the refusal to supply services in shops or restaurants. In February 2022 1 of the Poznan clinics displayed information entitled "We do not accept Russians". This reminds us of the old slogans, "No Jews allowed", but does not give emergence to concern about the trackers of discrimination and hatred speech. It is not surprising, since a associate of the government coalition Claudia Jahira publically proclaims that she harbors hatred for the full Russian nation. Of course, Jahira can do this without punishment, for hating individual is not criminal. However, we can ask – what would be the reaction if 1 of the politicians stated publically that he hated all Jews?
A akin deficiency of consistency and the practice of applying double criteria can be seen for politicians. How many times have we heard in the authoritative media about "putin's criminal". The fact is that Vladimir Putin was placed under an arrest warrant by the global Criminal Court in The Hague in 2023 with a charge of war crimes (which does not yet mean conviction). However, does 1 of the mainstream politicians and publicists mention the “Nethanejah criminal”? Importantly, Binjamin Netanyahu has been subject to an global arrest warrant issued by the global Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity since November 2024, and so formally speaking its position is akin to Vladimir Putin. Despite this, Polish politicians actively joined the defence of the Prime Minister of Israel. In January 2025 Donald Tusk announced that he would warrant Netanyahu's safety in Poland during the celebration of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, as the then president Andrzej Duda asked the government. The fight against xenophobia and the pursuit of the alleged “talk of hatred” are so highly selective, which is simply a clear example of double standards, hypocrisy and full deficiency of objectivity.
Michał Radzikowski
photo of wikipedia
Think Poland, No. 23-24 (7-14.06.2026)
