Volyn, Nationalist militias, Silk and Auschwitz
"Consolidation can only be based on truth," Nawrocki wrote on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, appealing to Ukrainian authorities for approval to search and exhume victims of Volyn genocide. It's hard to disagree. Indeed – without fact there is no reconciliation.
But demanding historical justice right now, erstwhile Ukraine defends itself against a Russian invasion all day, it may sound not only like an act of political blindness, but just like a blow to an ally in the back.
All the more so, erstwhile these words come out of the mouth of a politician who has late declared that he will not support Ukraine's accession to NATO – a declaration that fits perfectly in the scripts written in Lubianka. Nawrocki emphasizes his anti-Russianity, but it is worth asking: who truly benefits from the escalation of Polish-Ukrainian tensions? The answer does not require genius – Russia.
"Consolidation can only be based on truth," Nawrocki wrote on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, appealing to Ukrainian authorities for approval to search and exhume victims of Volyn genocide. It's hard to disagree. Indeed – without fact there is no reconciliation.
But demanding historical justice right now, erstwhile Ukraine defends itself against a Russian invasion all day, it may sound not only like an act of political blindness, but just like a blow to an ally in the back.
All the more so, erstwhile these words come out of the mouth of a politician who has late declared that he will not support Ukraine's accession to NATO – a declaration that fits perfectly in the scripts written in Lubianka. Nawrocki emphasizes his anti-Russianity, but it is worth asking: who truly benefits from the escalation of Polish-Ukrainian tensions? The answer does not require genius – Russia.
Moscow has been investing in the sowing of mistrust for years, fueling conflicts and scratching old wounds. due to the fact that the more Europe divided and divided – the stronger Russia.
Therefore, it is hard not to announcement that part of the Polish right hand – possibly unconsciously, possibly deliberately – is playing Putin's game today. Just look at the actions of utmost nationalists on the western border. Citizens' Patrons, which in practice match paramilitary militias alternatively than an expression of safety concerns. Their aesthetics – black sweatshirts, torches, rigid discipline – evokes associations not with the democratic state of law, but with prewar SA-type NSDAP formations.
It besides concerns what happens in the field of historical memory. In Jedwabne – the place of the extermination of judaic neighbors at the hands of Poles – a monument is created which questions this responsibility. And MP Braun – a politician known for almost cataloguing pro-Russian statements – publically claims that Auschwitz “was not a gas chamber”. It's hard to find a more disgusting and lying provocation. Yet over a million Poles voted for Braun.
Maybe we should introduce compulsory school trips to Auschwitz? It may be essential to teach again that past is not a collection of convenient narratives, but a reality that needs to be braved – besides erstwhile it hurts.
Braun's outrage was common. judaic organizations, the Church, and even the IPN condemned his statement. But part of the right started rationalizing, relativizing, shooting. Again – past becomes a tool. A comfortable bat to beat political opponents or neighbors. erstwhile speaking of Volyn – PiS and Confederacy usage strong words and gestures. But erstwhile it concerns Jedwabny or Auschwitz, they stay silent. The Polish Crown has nothing to do with democratic Poland.
As Jan Karski wrote – our large national hero, witness to the Holocaust, author of reports on the situation of Jews in the occupied Republic, alongside Pilecki the creator of 1 of the first sources about the Holocaust – “Those who tolerate, encourage and become responsibleIt’s okay. ”
The fact knows no nationality. There are no versions of “our” and “uncomfortable”. To conceal 1 fact undermines the authenticity of each other. If Poland wants to have a moral right to request historical integrity from others – it must be honest with itself.
In a planet where all public message immediately circulates across the media – including those hostile – all word of politics becomes a weapon. It can service democracy or propaganda. If the echo of Polish debates and respondents reaches Moscow and there becomes fuel for the Kremlin – it means that something went very wrong.
Because it is impossible to build free Poland if Russian methods are copied along the way.
