Members and leaders of the Polish community in Northern Ireland (working together as the Polish Community Council Northern Ireland) are deeply offended by an article entitled “Poles can’t deny role in Auschwitz”, which was published on the Belfast Telegraph website, on 16 September 2015, and signed by Dr Kevin McCarthy.
Although, we understand that the opinion section of the Belfast Telegraph website should be a platform for free expression, we cannot accept the publishing of historically misleading and offensive articles.
Dr McCarthy’s claims concerning the Polish “role in Auschwitz”, and of widespread anti-Semitism among Poles being instrumental in the locating of major German concentration camps in Poland, are not only misleading and untrue, but also offensive for our ancestors and our community as a whole.
We consider this letter to be a provocative case of hate-speech, which aims to redirect the responsibility for wartime crimes towards the victims, in this case, Polish nationals living under the extremely brutal and murderous Nazi-German and Soviet occupational regimes.
After the defeat of Poland in the first stage of World War II, in September 1939, the Polish state lost its sovereignty. The Polish Government and substantial remains of the Polish Army were evacuated to neighbouring countries, where they aimed to continue their fight, side by side with France and the United Kingdom. The Polish Underground State, acting as a resistance supported by the largest underground Armed Forces in Europe, unfortunately had no means or resources to challenge Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union’s occupation authorities on a larger scale.
As a result, both aggressors’ direct rule resulted in violent occupational regimes operating freely within the occupied territory of Poland. From 1941, Nazi Germany was exclusively responsible for all cases of mass-murder and other war crimes committed on Poles, Jews and other ethnic groups within that area. While it is sadly true that there were instances of individual collaboration with the occupying powers, these occurrences were very rare, and on a much lesser scale than anywhere else in occupied Europe during the entire course of the war. Highlighting these relatively marginal occurrences will not change that historical truth.
In fact, the Polish played a pivotal role in the winning of the War, most notably in their roles in the Battle of Britain and in their contribution to the intelligence effort which led to the final cracking of the enigma codes at Bletchley Park.
To our surprise and confusion, letters and requests from Polish individuals and Diplomats to the Belfast Telegraph calling for the removal of Dr McCarthy’s letter, and for a published letter of clarification and apology have been ignored. Our comments on social media have been removed.
Instead, on 29th September 2015, we have been insulted again in an article written by a Belfast Telegraph staff reporter, enjoying “a landmark victory for freedom of expression” – the result of the newspaper industry regulator rejecting a complaint raised by a concerned member of the public. Within this article the Belfast Telegraph repeatedly raised the issue of the 1946 Massacre of Jews in Kielce, as an argument in support of the truthfulness of Kevin McCarthy’s statement. Also Dr McCarthy has been endorsed as distinguished academic. Therefore we can assume Belfast Telegraph have adopted this offensive opinion as their own.
Unfortunately, the Paper’s reporters did not carry out even the most rudimentary research on the issue of the 1946 Kielce Massacre. Had they done it, they would have found that the causes of this event have never been fully determined. However, there is strong evidence that the Soviet backed communist security forces organised and facilitated the massacre, possibly to cover up the coup-d’etat they were just about to commence.
Unfortunately, the Belfast Telegraph decided to continue in what it seems to be an anti-Polish political-history campaign. On 29th September 2015, another letter, this time signed by Avraham Sender, again repeats Dr McCarthy’s thesis of widespread Polish anti-Semitism as a cause for the location of German concentration camps in Poland. Accusations of Polish anti-Semitism this time were extended up to the modern time Polish society.
While certain extremist groups exist in every society, and regrettably there are some of these expressing anti-Semitic views, it must be underlined that these marginal groups constitute only a small percentage in any country and cannot be considered representative of the feelings and views of the nation.
Also comments on the Polish State’s pre-war anti-Jewish law regulations need to be put in context. This cannot be done without professional research into the issue. Any comparison or relation to German anti-Semitic laws (like the Nuremberg laws) is greatly overstated.
As highlighted by the Polish historian, Katarzyna Derenowska, MA:
“Righteous Among the Nations … we Poles, our ancestors, who were honoured by the Israeli Institute of Remembrance of the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Yad Vashem the “Righteous Among the Nations” awarded to non-Jews who helped Jews during the occupation, we Poles, constitute 26% of all awarded this medal, we Poles, we hold the first place on the list of the awarded ones by the state of Israel for helping Jews during the Second World War. We, Poles, do not agree to the falsification of history, our duty is to tell the truth because only the truth will set us free.”
The Polish Community Council NI strongly condemns the Belfast Telegraph’s recent attempts to present a misleading version of Polish and Jewish wartime history. We expect that such delicate and sensitive, but historically important subjects, as the Holocaust be presented with due respect and sound research.
We demand the removal of the above-mentioned article from the website and the publishing of a letter from the Polish Ambassador to London, Mr Witold Sobków, to the Belfast Telegraph. The opportunity to publish the Polish view on this issue would be more than appropriate.
We also expect the Belfast Telegraph editorial team to take steps to prevent such articles from being published in the future.
Polish Community Council Northern Ireland
Polish Educational & Cultural Association
Polish Saturday School in Belfast
Polish Community Centre Cooltura
PYO Kameleon
Polish Abroad & Polish Abroad Saturday School
Nasz Express – Polish Monthly Magazine
Polish Saturday School in Portadown/Lurgan
Craigavon Polish Community Group
Polish NI Community Network
Polish Magazine
Bangor PL & Bangor Saturday School
Polish Supplementary School in Newry
Polish Society Belfast
Sport Association Polonia NI
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