Is Poland right to Legislate against phrasing Poland being involved with Warcrimes?

[Xlucine]

The beeb has an article on it, taking a very negative view of that law
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42920934

Holocaust law wields a 'blunt instrument' against Poland's past

In 2012, Barack Obama made an uncharacteristic gaffe that set off a small diplomatic crisis - he referred to the "Polish" - and not "Nazi" - death camps of the Second World War.

For Poles, it was an acutely painful faux-pas. The nation has for years objected to the term "Polish death camps", saying it implies complicity in the Nazi camps built on its soil during occupation.

President Obama swiftly apologised, and a personal letter to Poland's then president Bronislaw Komorowski was enough in that case to paper over the diplomatic crack.

But under a bill passed by Poland's lower house of parliament this week, someone using similar language in future might be prosecuted. Put forward by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party, the bill would make it a crime to accuse Poles of being complicit in the Holocaust, punishable by up to three years in prison.

[wazzickle]

Well as the grandson of an orthodox jew from Warsaw whose entire family was killed by the nazis in Auschwitz and only narrowly survived, and seeing the increasingly right-wing government in Poland, I find stuff like this upsetting/worrying, if my perspective is worth anything.

[sig]

The first victim is google translate, put polish dead camp into polish prime minister Morawiecki formal speech on youtube (auto english sub). The mistake has repair by send proper subtext.

ps I,m from and in Poland, if someone catch that felon, i put another post.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Well as the grandson of an orthodox jew from Warsaw whose entire family was killed by the nazis in Auschwitz and only narrowly survived, and seeing the increasingly right-wing government in Poland, I find stuff like this upsetting/worrying, if my perspective is worth anything.

Because they are very right wing are obviously latching onto a grievance people have in modern Poland,and then twisting it around. You see the same in the UK.

I had a thought about it,and yes saying "Polish death camp" really does make it sound like the Polish were the main agents of this and it probably does annoy people,otherwise it would not be gaining any traction in Poland. Although one also has to ask how many native Poles also collaborated with the Nazis,which this law sadly means nobody can talk about in Poland.

Then Israel and the US then saying Poland is "Holocast denying" which is probably adding oil to the fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_...y_of_estimates

Total war time Polish losses were 6 million people,half of those were Jewish people,the other half were not.

I can start to understand why some people might be miffed,since:
1.)It makes it sound like the Polish state/people were the major reason behind the death camps,when Poland was an occupied land.
2.)Everyone is concentrating on the Jewish casualties of war,but not the millions of other people who died,whose descendents probably feel nobody cares.
3.)Diminishing German involvement in the death camps and atrocities against done against the population in general.

OFC,then the right wing latches onto that cause to gain more votes and then twists the law into something entirely different.

In fact if I had not looked on wikipedia,I would never have known so many non-Jewish people had died in Poland at the hands of the Nazis.

[flearider]

look they got over run ..check and 80% played ball with the Germans under duress but they still played ball ...
they did things they would not have done in fear for there family's but they did it ..
are they guilty ...yes did they have to ...yes it was a dark time rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish happened to the whole world lets remember it and not relive it ..

[wazzickle]

The whys and wherefores of how much responsibility individual Poles had is besides the point. The point is that it's an increasingly hostile country, and they felt the need to legislate their history in order to avoid impugning their 'glory' or something. If this is just a case of wording, they can have it - I don't think I've ever referred to 'polish death camps', I would happily revert to 'death camps in poland', as if the difference between 'autistic people' and 'people with autism' (yes, the latter is preferred and the former is considered offensive by some) is just as marked.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The whys and wherefores of how much responsibility individual Poles had is besides the point. The point is that it's an increasingly hostile country, and they felt the need to legislate their history in order to avoid impugning their 'glory' or something. If this is just a case of wording, they can have it - I don't think I've ever referred to 'polish death camps', I would happily revert to 'death camps in poland', as if the difference between 'autistic people' and 'people with autism' (yes, the latter is preferred and the former is considered offensive by some) is just as marked.

The thing is unless we get a modern Polish perspective it's basically us judging from our standards outside.

I do think it's probably going too far to legislate against it,but then in the Middle East showing the soles of a shoe is very offensive and nobody here would really care apart from thinking you are a bit weird.

Regarding the right wing,well look in this country the right wing are having more and more influence. I mean come on these are those who think farage being in power is not the worst possible outcome for this country (a few million at one point),and mainstream parties have gone more towards the right,to try and accommodate their voters.

[Terbinator]

I think if I was Poland right now,I would be seriously reconsidering their choice of primary air defence missiles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David%27s_Sling
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Pol...issiles-499233...

David's Sling...? Palastine is hardly Goliath now, is it.

Everything that's wrong with the situation over there bundled into a weapon name of all things. Poetic, almost.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

David's Sling...? Palastine is hardly Goliath now, is it.

Everything that's wrong with the situation over there bundled into a weapon name of all things. Poetic, almost.

I never thought about the connection,but wow,once you pointed it out. I do kind of understand why a number in Israel feel that way,ie,they are besieged and the world is against them,but then as with the Middle East in general they seem more worried about living in the past,and having past glories than thinking of now and the future. Although,TBF,its also the same mentality starting to move through Europe,Russia being an example of that line of thinking too.