In the text entitled “Through Reparations for Reconciliation” Nawrocki recalls the story of Winicjusz Natoniewski, who was 6 years old when on February 2, 1944 the Germans burned down his hometown of Szczecyn in the Lublin region. “They killed in an impudent way, without a doubt,” says the hero of this tragic tale.

The president of the National Memorial Institute wrote that from 800 to even 1,300 people, including women and children, were killed that day. It was one of the most brutal acts of “pacification” carried out by the Germans in the rural areas of occupied Poland.

Natoniewski survived, but was badly burned, and the scar remains forever, as does the trauma. “He said that this was an unfinished business in his life” – the author quotes Natoniewski’s daughter.

“During various birthday celebrations, German politicians utter beautiful words about their country’s special historical responsibility. Apparently, however, this will not – apart from the often forced small gestures – material liability legal, undeserved waiting game, restrictions and oblivion “- claims Nawrocki.

The head of the National Memorial Institute stressed that his father was not granted illegitimate war status because he did not meet the statutory criteria. “He did not receive the benefits of the Polish-German + Foundation + Reconciliation fund, as support was provided only for certain categories of victims. Knowing that there was no possibility of redress in courts in Germany, he sued the German state before the Polish courts. To no avail – Court Supreme called Complaints to the European Court of Human Rights also did not help – did not even accept the case for examination “- explains Nawrocki.

According to the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, Natoniewski’s case clearly shows: it cannot be said that Germany was fully responsible for World War II. “During various birthday celebrations, German politicians utter beautiful words about their country’s special historical responsibility. Apparently, however, this will not – apart from the often forced small gestures – material liability legal, undeserved waiting game, restrictions and oblivion “- claims Nawrocki.

He also emphasized that after the uprising of the Federal Republic of Germany, individual compensation for the victims of German Nazism did not initially cover Polish citizens at all. “Future payments – for victims of medical experimentation or forced labor – should be considered symbolic in the context of the giant graves that Germany arranged for Poland in 1939-1945. Brutally, benefits were given to those who lived long enough and found themselves in + appropriate + victim groups. And they often feel that they only got alms “- wrote the author of the article frankly.

According to him, a similar game was played around war reparations, namely compensation that was no longer given to individual victims, but to Poland as a country invaded and occupied by Germany. Successive governments in Berlin are trying to convince the world that this matter is closed in a legal sense. The same politicians who voluntarily refer to morality every day speak the soulless language of paragraphs on this issue. They go to great lengths to explain why they should not pay reparations. They avoid answering the question of why they do not want to pay like fire “- assesses the head of the National Memorial Institute.

“Sometimes there is an argument that reparations are the way to go – that after World War I they put Germany in crisis and indirectly paved the way for Adolf Hitler to come to power. As a historian, I disagree with this analogy. Today Germany is the largest economy in the European Union – much stronger and more resilient to crises than during the pre-war Weimar Republic. Few people know that the indemnities for World War I were repaid by Germany until 2010. This did not prevent them from building a rich country in the impossible ” – notes Nawrocki.

Nearly 6 million victims, mass extermination in camps, secret performances and executions, forced evictions, looting of cultural goods, destruction of cities and deliberate burning of villages – all this not only left deep trauma, but also resulted in devastating losses. terrible that can be estimated accurately. calculated – explains Nawrocki.

According to the president of the Institute of National Remembrance, the argument that almost all of Europe was affected by World War II and that if all countries now demanded reparations, there would be no end to the claims.

“Nearly 6 million victims, mass extermination in camps, clandestine performances and executions, forced evictions, looting of cultural goods, intentional destruction of cities and burning of villages – all this not only left deep trauma, but also resulted in horrendous losses. that can be generated. quite right maybe. None of our ancestors, who were killed during the Second World War or suffered atrocities at that time, gives us the right to completely erase all the harm done by Germany in its name “- explains Nawrocki.

The author of the article “With reparations for reconciliation” concludes: “Yes, Germany is our neighbor with whom in the 21st century we want to build good relations as partners in NATO and the European Union. War reparations will be a milestone on this path – an act of material justice that hard. I hope the government in Berlin will start to see them as opportunities for true reconciliation between our countries.”

The text was published in conjunction with the Polish monthly “All That Matters” in a historical project with the National Memorial Institute and the Polish National Foundation. (PAP)

sm / tebe /