Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Poland Is Again Threatened by a Tyrant. This Time, Europe Must Not Look Away

THE OBSERVER: Donald Tusk needs to convince European leaders to act to deter Vladimir Putin from further aggression

Recent panicky talk of a third world war seems a tad overblown. Yet the specific threat posed by Russia’s aggressive, revisionist regime to eastern Europe is real and growing. As in the past, Poland is on the frontline of a battle for Ukraine that could easily spread. Scrambling to shore up defences, the UK and European Nato states must decide: is this 1920 or 1939?

As all Poles know, the Battle of Warsaw, 104 years ago this August, ended in Marshal Józef Piłsudski’s famous victory over the invading Red Army, which secured their country’s independence. They called it the “Miracle on the Vistula”, after the river linking Poland’s main cities. Vladimir Lenin lamented an “enormous defeat” for Bolshevik revolutionary ambitions in Europe.

September 1939 is remembered for the opposite reasons. Another totalitarian monster, Nazi Germany, was hammering on the door. Poles believed France and Britain would come to the rescue if they were attacked. But when Hitler invaded, an effective allied military response failed to materialise. Poland fell to fascism. Unspeakable horrors ensued. Poland recalls this two-part history, even if many in Europe do not, and has learned the lessons. It has doubled its armed forces in the past decade. Nato’s largest European land army will be equipped with the latest US-made battle tanks and missiles. And since Russia’s invasion two years ago this month, Poland has vigorously supported Ukraine. » | Simon Tisdall | Saturday, February 17, 2024

Thursday, February 08, 2024

'Shame on You': Polish Prime Minister Hits Out at US Republicans

THE GUARDIAN: Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has issued a sharp public rebuke to American Republicans.

In a post on social media this morning, the centre-right politician said:

“Dear Republican Senators of America. Ronald Reagan, who helped millions of us to win back our freedom and independence, must be turning in his grave today. Shame on you.” » | Lili Bayer in Brussels | Thursday, February 8, 2024

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

The Instability of American Politics Can't Be Ignored (with Anne Applebaum) | The Bulwark Podcast

Dec 19, 2023 | Anne Applebaum discusses a ray of hope in Europe with the defeat of Poland's authoritarian government, while also contemplating the consequences for NATO and America's place in the world if Trump were to be reelected. Mona Charen sits in for Charlie Sykes.

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Can the New Polish Prime Minister Ease Strained Relations with Germany? | DW News

Dec 12, 2023 | Poland's new parliament elected centrist party leader Donald Tusk as prime minister on Monday. Tusk becomes prime minister nearly two months after national elections won by a coalition of parties ranging from left-wing to moderately conservative.

The alliance of pro-EU parties signed an agreement last month, paving the way for a coalition government. Earlier on Monday, the parliament rejected the proposed conservative government of acting Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a widely expected outcome that paved the way for the rival alliance to form the next government.

Only 190 deputies voted in favor of the Morawiecki government, while 266 voted against it and there were no abstentions. Morawiecki's Law and Justice (PiS) party lost its majority but retained its status as the largest single party in October's elections.

Morawiecki's failure opens the door for former Polish Prime Minister and former European Council President Donald Tusk. Tusk led a broad pro-EU opposition coalition in a bid to unseat PiS after two terms in power.



This is indeed welcome news! Donald Tusk is a good man. He will be good for Poland and good for the EU. This is like a breath of fresh air. A favourable wind is blowing from the east, at last. – © Mark Alexander

Wednesday, November 01, 2023

‘Nightmare Is Over’: Polish Election Result Brings Relief for LGBTQ+ People

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Community looks tentatively to future as party that sought to demonise them is unlikely to retain power

Bart Staszewski, a film-maker and activist, wants better legislative protections for LGBTQ+ people in Poland. Photograph: Przemysław Stefaniak/AP

For the past eight years, fear and anxiety has threaded through much of Bart Staszewski’s daily life. As a gay man living in Poland, he found himself increasingly under attack by a government that had sought to depict the LGBTQ+ community as a threat to the nation and its children, fuelling prejudices and hate crimes across the country.

But since last month’s election pointed to a possible route to power for opposition parties, Staszewski has been gripped by a wave of relief. “It’s like I’m breathing fresh air for the first time in eight years,” he said. “After years of hate against people like me, the nightmare is over.”

While the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) emerged from the election with the biggest share of the vote, there is no clear path for the rightwing populists to form a majority. The country could instead be governed by a coalition made up of the Civic Coalition, led by Donald Tusk, the centre-right Third Way and the leftist Lewica. » | Ashifa Kassam, European Community affairs correspondent | Wednesday, November 2023

In Poland, the home of ‘LGBT-free zones’, there is hope at last for the queer community: The former ruling party targeted and scapegoated Poland’s LGBTQ+ people. Now it’s out of power, equality is within reach »

It gladdens the heart to see that benighted politicians in Poland are being/have been thrown out of office by politicians with enlightened values and ideas. My congratulations to the people of Poland on their significant victory. Sanity in politics has returned, It has been brought back by Donald Tusk's very hard work. Long live freedom in Poland; long live LGBTQ+ rights! – © Mark Alexander

MEANWHILE IN HUNGARY:

Hungary anti-LGBT law sees under-18s barred from World Press Photo exhibition: Prestigious show contains one set of images with LGBTQ+ theme, prompting a far-right lawmaker to file a complaint with the cultural ministry »

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Pope Accepts Resignation of Polish Bishop after Gay Orgy Scandal in Diocese

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Vatican did not say why Grzegorz Kaszak was resigning, but priest from his diocese faced criminal investigation

The pope has accepted the resignation of Polish bishop Grzegorz Kaszak as head of the diocese of Sosnowiec, which has been under the spotlight following reports of a gay orgy. Photograph: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

The pope has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop whose diocese has been rocked by reports of a gay orgy involving a male sex worker in a priest’s apartment, as well as previous violent incidents involving his clergy.

The Vatican did not give a reason why Grzegorz Kaszak was resigning as head of the diocese of Sosnowiec, in south-western Poland. At 59, he is several years shy of the normal retirement age of 75.

But his diocese has been in the spotlight after one of his priests was placed under criminal investigation for having allegedly organised an orgy at his apartment in Dąbrowa Górnicza involving a male sex worker. Polish media reported that one of the participants of the sex party collapsed after overdosing on erectile dysfunction pills.

A prosecutor said the priest was suspected of “failing to provide assistance to a person whose life is at risk” for having allegedly tried to bar paramedics from entering the apartment. » | Associated Press in Rome | Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The Guardian View on Poland’s Election: A Record Turnout Delivers a Landmark Result

GUARDIAN EUROPE – EDITORIAL: A mass mobilisation of voters appears to have ousted the radical right from power. That is good news for Polish democracy, and for Europe

Poland's main opposition leader, Donald Tusk, at an election rally in Pruszków, Poland, on 13 October 2023. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP

Back in 2018, as Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) neared the end of its first term in office, its leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, told one newspaper that his radical right project had only just begun. “We are preparing a long march,” said Mr Kaczyński, “one needs, not two, but three terms.”

On Sunday, Poles turned out in extraordinary numbers determined to thwart that ambition, and they appear to have succeeded in remarkable fashion. Provisional results indicate that the highest election turnout since the fall of communism delivered a famous and unexpectedly clear victory for the opposition coalition of parties. Though PiS emerged once more as the largest electoral force, it lost its majority and seemingly has no viable route to constructing a new one. For Poland, and for the rest of Europe, this constitutes a hugely consequential result. For progressives, it is one to celebrate. » | Editorial | Monday, October 16, 2023

Fresh air has blown over Poland; hopefully, it will keep on blowing. Eastern Europe needs plenty more fresh air. Now, as a result of this great election result – a warm welcome back, Mr Tusk! – all of Europe will be able to breathe more easily again. The cobwebs are being blown away, slowly but surely. – © Mark Alexander

With Opposition Gains, Poland Looks to Unwind an ‘Illiberal Democracy’: With all of the votes counted, liberal parties have probably won by enough to assemble a new coalition. The governing party can still form its own, but the prospects look dim. »

Monday, October 16, 2023

Poland: Opposition Poised to Oust Ruling Nationalists | DW News

Oct 16, 2023 | After eight years and two consecutive terms in power, Poland's nationalist Law and Justice party may be on their way out. Exit polls suggest they secured around 36% of the votes - more than any other party, but not the majority they would need to govern again. The opposing Civic Coalition party - headed by former European Council President Donald Tusk - came in second place but may be able team up with two smaller parties to form a government and secure a majority of seats in Parliament.


Related article here.

Poland election: Law and Justice party on course to be ousted from power: Former PM Donald Tusk hails ‘the end of evil times’ as early results suggest opposition parties will be able to form governing coalition »

Poland Exit Polls: Donald Tusk Claims Victory Based on Coalition Hopes

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Civic Coalition expected to have got fewer votes than ruling Law and Justice party but is likely to ally with other parties

Donald Tusk and supporters of the largest opposition grouping, Civic Coalition, react to exit polls. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister and European Council president, claimed victory in Poland’s parliamentary election on Sunday, making the announcement just minutes after the polls closed, based on the results of an exit poll.

The poll suggested the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party had won the most votes but appeared to show a route to government for a combined opposition coalition led by Tusk.

PiS, which has governed Poland for eight years, has turned public television into a propaganda arm of the government, restricted abortion rights and demonised LGBTQ+ people, migrants and refugees. It has also put Poland on a collision course with Brussels over rule of law issues, which has led to tens of billions of euros in European funding being frozen.

Tusk appeared on stage at the Civic Coalition election headquarters at Warsaw’s Ethnographical Museum to declare victory.

“It’s the end of the evil times, it’s the end of the PiS rule, we made it,” said Tusk, to cheers from assembled supporters. » | Shaun Walker in Warsaw | Sunday, October 15, 2023

Poland election: opposition claims win after strong exit poll result – as it happened »

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Young Poles Leave the Church | ARTE.tv Documentary

Oct 11, 2023 | The Catholic church in Poland is losing ground. Although over 80% of Poles identify as Catholics, young people are increasingly turning away from the institution. Only 23% of 18-24 year olds still claim to be regular churchgoers, whereas 30 years ago there were three times as many. This trend is also visible in seminaries with a significant fall in Poles training to be priests.

Saturday, October 07, 2023

EU Veteran Tusk Heads into Final Week of Battle to Steer Poland from Populism

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Election is contest between Law and Justice party and politician it claims represents malevolent foreign forces

Donald Tusk speaks to residents of Rzeszów. Photograph: Darek Delmanowicz/EPA

“I want this message to reach everybody in Poland,” said Donald Tusk, speaking to a rally of supporters, gathered in a cavernous indoor sports arena in the city of Bydgoszcz. “This is really the last chance.”

As a vicious, bruising campaign comes to its climax ahead of parliamentary elections on 15 October, Tusk, a veteran of Polish and European politics, has sought to make this point with increasing urgency.

The rally was just one stop on a busy campaign trail for Tusk, whose Civic Coalition is seeking to prevent the nationalist, populist Law and Justice (PiS) government from winning a third term. » | Shaun Walker in Bydgoszcz | Saturday, October 7, 2023

Polish elections: who are the key players and what is at stake?: Tusk-led Civic Platform aims to unseat nationalist Law and Justice party in bitterly contested ballot »

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

Warsaw Sends Troops to Border, Accusing Belarus of Violating Its Airspace

THE GUARDIAN: Polish military says army helicopters crossed eastern flank, adding to tensions caused by proximity of Wagner fighters

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, had already started moving forces to its border with Belarus before the incursion. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters

Poland has rushed troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters.

The Belarusian military denied any such violation and accused Nato member Poland, one of Ukraine’s most fervent backers in its conflict with Russia, of making up the accusation to justify a buildup of its troops.

Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko had earlier taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near their joint border.

Poland’s defence ministry said it was sending “additional forces and resources, including combat helicopters”. It said it had informed Nato of the border violation and Belarus’s chargé d’affaires had been summoned to provide an explanation. » | Reuters in Warsaw | Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Putin Accuses Poland of Trying to Get Involved in Ukraine War | DW News

Kul 21, 2023 | After Poland reacted to the arrival of Wagner mercenary troops to Belarus by moving some of its troops to its eastern border, Russia's President Vladimir Putin accused Warsaw of trying to seize more land in eastern Europe.

Putin claimed there were press reports about forming a Polish-Lithuanian unit that would operate in western Ukraine. He also warned that any attack on Belarus, Moscow's sole ally in Europe, would be treated as an attack on Russia.

"It is well known that they also dream of the Belarusian lands," Putin said.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of Russia's Security Council, Putin said that Russia would respond "with all means at our disposal.


Sunday, June 18, 2023

Poland Was Headed to the Far Right. Then Russia Invaded Ukraine

Jun 13, 2023 | For several years, Poland’s government was veering further to the right with its anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant and anti-European policies. Then Russia invaded Ukraine and it became home to refugees and a route for Western weapons, which CBC’s Terence McKenna found out put the country at a political crossroads. NOTE: At 9:28 in this video Adam Reichardt's name is misspelled.

Friday, June 16, 2023

Somewhere in Poland | Smooth Dance

Click here to watch this great, cool smooth dance routine somewhere in Poland.

Sunday, June 04, 2023

Poland: Thousands Protest over New Law - BBC News

Jun 4, 2023 | Thousands of people have been taking part in an anti-government rally in Poland's capital Warsaw. They were protesting against a new law that critics say could be used to target opposition politicians in an election year. There is due to be an election in Poland in October or November 2023.


Related.

Poland: Hundreds of Thousands March against Rightwing Populist Government

THE GUARDIAN: ‘We’re half a million here,’ says Donald Tusk at what he says is biggest political gathering since Poland regained independence

Donald Tusk: ‘The whole of Poland, the whole of Europe and the whole world sees how strong we are and how we are ready to fight for democracy and freedom again, like we did 30, 40 years ago.’ Photograph: Paweł Supernak/EPA

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election due in the autumn.

The Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, since when it has eroded democratic norms, attacked the independent judiciary and launched campaigns against the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights.

“We’re half a million here, it’s a record,” said Donald Tusk, the former prime minister who leads the Civil Platform opposition grouping. He said the march on Sunday had been the biggest political gathering since Poland regained independence after the communist period.

There was no official confirmation of the size of the rally, though Warsaw’s city hall also gave a 500,000 estimate, and central streets thronged with crowds of protesters. The city’s metro was overwhelmed as people converged on the centre. Many people waved Polish or EU flags and the mood was defiant but often festive.

“The whole of Poland, the whole of Europe and the whole world sees how strong we are and how we are ready to fight for democracy and freedom again, like we did 30, 40 years ago,” Tusk told the crowds at the start of the rally. » | Shaun Walker in Warsaw | Sunday, June 4, 2023

Glad to see the good and sensible people of Poland fighting back against the extreme right-wing loons that now have a grip on power in Poland. – © Mark Alexander

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Saved by Schindler’s List | Celina Biniaz | Jewish-American Heritage Month | USC Shoah Foundation

May 22, 2023 | Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz was the youngest female on Oskar Schindler’s famed list. Celina survived the Kraków Ghetto, Nazi labor camps, and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp before being rescued by Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved more than 1,000 Jews from the Holocaust.

Celina, 91, is a longtime friend of USC Shoah Foundation. Both Celina and her mother recorded testimony for USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive in 1996. For many years after the war, Celina was reluctant to share her story because she feared no one could comprehend what she had been through. That changed in 1994, when Steven Spielberg brought Oskar Schindler’s story to the screen with Schindler’s List and established Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which later became USC Shoah Foundation.

Celina often says that “Oskar Schindler gave me life, but Steven Spielberg gave me a voice.” Some of Celina’s testimony was included as an extra feature on a DVD release of Schindler’s List, to help fight Holocaust denial. …


Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Kremlin Calls Poland’s Decision to Rename Kaliningrad a ‘Hostile Act’

THE GUARDIAN: Russian city will now be known as Królewiec in official documents, its name in the 15th and 16th centuries

The Kremlin has described Poland’s decision to rename the Russian city of Kaliningrad in its official documents as a “hostile act”, as ties continue to fray over the Ukraine war.

Kaliningrad, which sits in an exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast, was known by the German name of Königsberg until after the second world war, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union and renamed to honour politician Mikhail Kalinin.

On Wednesday, Poland’s development minister, Waldemar Buda, said Kaliningrad would now officially be called Królewiec, its name when it was ruled by the Kingdom of Poland in the 15th and 16th centuries. » | Staff and agencies in Warsaw | Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

97-year-old Former Secretary at a Nazi Concentration Camp Convicted by German Court | DW News

Dec 20, 2022 A court in northern Germany on Tuesday convicted Irmgard F., a former secretary at the Nazi Stutthof concentration camp, of complicity in murder in more than 10,000 people. She received a two-year suspended sentence as requested by prosecutors.

From June 1943 to April 1945, she worked as a stenographer and typist at the Stutthof death camp, near what was then Nazi-occupied Danzig and is now Gdansk.



Related BBC report here.

LIRE CET ARTICLE EN FRANÇAIS SUR CETTE HISTOIRE :

Une ex-secrétaire d’un camp nazi condamnée à deux ans de prison avec sursis en Allemagne : Irmgard Furchner est la première femme à être jugée en Allemagne depuis des décennies pour les crimes commis sous le régime nazi. »