The Sejm passed present the Act on the Establishment of 11 July National Day of Memory on Poles – Victims of Genocide made by the OUN and UPA in east lands of the Second Republic of Poland.
In an instant message by the Ukrainian Ministry of abroad Affairs concerning the decision of the Polish Sejm to establish on 11 July the National Day of Memory of the Victims of Genocide made by Ukrainian Nationalists, the Ukrainian side exceeded the limits of diplomacy, past and decency. The paper published by the Ministry of abroad Affairs of Ukraine is simply a public effort to relativize the Volyn crime, and its speech and content are unacceptable from the position of the Polish national interest.
The Ukrainian Ministry of abroad Affairs says that “She was disappointed to adopt the decision of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland to establish on 11 July the National Day of Memory of Victims of the alleged genocide by Ukrainian nationalists towards citizens of the Second Republic of Poland”. The phrase “genocide” is simply a slap aimed not only at victims and their families, but at the full Polish nation. This is simply a public denial of historical facts that have been documented by historians and confirmed by witnesses.
The Sejm says no more silence
The decision of the Sejm, taken unanimously, is simply a historical and long-awaited step towards justice. The Act establishing on 11 July the National Day of Memory of Victims of Genocide CNS-UPA is simply a tribute to tens of thousands of murdered Poles whose destiny has been displaced from public debate for decades. The parliament, regardless of the current political power arrangement, has shown that there are values that unite over divisions.
The Volyn massacre is not just a story. This trauma is present in household memories, these are the unrepentant wounds of Polish Kresów. The voice of the Sejm is besides the voice of the descendants of the victims who have demanded the fact and designation of the crime for years. The resolution explicitly highlighted: it was genocide. Thus are the facts, so says the conscience of the nation, and so must the Polish state.
You can't run a lie-based policy. Establishing 11 July with a day of remembrance is besides a signal for the future – that Poland will not quit its own past in the name of political correctness or allied pressure.
This is not against Ukraine. This is for Poland. We remember that there were and there are many Ukrainians opposed to the neo-banderization of the country. We remember those Ukrainians who gave their lives for being decent and opposed to native Nazis.
