Eugeniusz Smolar, a journalist and opposition activist from the days of the Polish People’s Republic, decided in the Gazeta Wyborcza to refer to a speech by Germany’s head of diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, delivered at the New School in New York in early August. However, he begins his open letter to the minister with … an attack on PiS.

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What – according to Smolar – connects PiS and Putin?

There are also deceptive statements about how much of the alleged linking PiS to Putin is. At first, Smolar mentions a few threads from the speeches of Baerbock who are close to him and the “largely public” in Poland.

These included Russia’s unanimous condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine and its “declaration of assistance to our eastern neighbors not to give in to Moscow imperialism.” “Recognizing that Putin’s goal is to destroy not only Ukraine’s independence and its national identity, but also the foundations of the international order,” Smolar continued. The next point is “strengthening NATO by increasing Europe’s contribution to security”. “Building on the strategic role of the European Union in the future world, while stressing the importance of NATO and transatlantic relations with the US, which are essential to our common security,” the authors write. “Recognizing the importance of strengthening democratic and liberal values ​​as a basis for working together to respect human rights and international law and order which has served everyone so well and which is now being undermined by Russia, China and other countries,” he added. . eventually.

Your thesis is certainly supported by the vast majority of Polish public opinion. But not everything

– suggest.

And he goes on to attack the ruling party, pointing out that this “shares a lot” of values ​​”from Putin” (don’t expand on Putin’s letter thread, which was once published in Gazeta Wyborcza. One would say that this is a different time, though already after the aggression against Georgia and after the hell that Russian satraps prepared for Chechnya, Putin later participated in the celebrations of the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Poland, and in a letter published in Gazeta Wyborcza, he described himself as turbo-European, so it should not be remembered).

Since 2015, the Polish coalition has been in power, violating the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary, colonizing almost all public institutions, and attacking the rights of women and minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community.

– he wrote further.

Later in the letter, he suggested that PiS had carried out “hostile state arrests” and “state arrests”, either by not fully understanding the meaning of these terms or by deliberately manipulating them.

PiS with its coalition allies is a group that strongly distrusts the European Union, accused of subservient to German and French interests. In practice, it violates its basic values ​​and principles. Like Putin, he views Western Europe as decadent, weakened by immigration and “leftist” multiculturalism, LGBTQ+ rights, lawlessness and pacifism, ready to “sell” anything and everyone for economic gain. At the same time, European elites, especially Germany, were trying hard to create a European federal state that would abolish the nation-state. In this sick vision, Poland will not only succumb to Franco-German hegemony, but will even cease to exist

– Smolar continues.

Another allegation of the letter’s authors is “the aggressive anti-German policy carried out by the PiS, referring to the memory of the German crimes of 1939-45”. Memory of German crimes during World War II? Well, just a scandal!

The German government refrained from reacting to statements that often offended Kaczyński and his aides. It is not surprising that many countries are reluctant to cooperate closely with the governments in Warsaw and Budapest in violation of the basic principle of genuine cooperation in the EU.

– he added, without specifying which country he was referring to.

PiS does not recognize that the decisions of the EU Courts or the positions of the Commission and the European Parliament are not intended, as PiS claims, to overthrow its powers, but to preserve the foundations and internal cohesion of the European Union.

– emphasize Smolar.

Where did the “criticism” of Baerbock come from?

Why did the journalist write this big condemnation in PiS to representatives of the German government? Because he refuses to “accept the sovereign-nationalist perspective of PiS and its leaders and supporters complex on Western Europe.”

I reject the assumptions and ineffective ways of conducting foreign policy aimed at Germany, France or Brussels, and I observe with concern the consequences that lead to a weakening of Poland’s position and ability to act.

– but the states or capitals mentioned above can implement policies aimed at Poland, for example challenging Prime Minister Morawiecki against anti-Semitism, as French President Emmanuel Macron did, without being able to substantively respond to criticism of his ambiguous stance on the war in Ukraine and often talks to Putin.

Recognizing the degree of positive interdependence of our economy, state and society, I reject the ubiquitous schadenfreude in the PiS government propaganda against Germany, which is currently struggling with an energy crisis and a possible recession. Not only because the consequences of this hardship will hit the Polish economy too

– underline.

And the funniest thing is that after this deceptive tirade, Smolar basically wrote what PiS politicians had long been saying: that France had long ignored not only Poland, but also Central and Eastern European countries, and Germany stayed behind. . too long blind to Putin’s imperialist aspirations, and both countries have done best with the regime over the years. He pointed out that Berlin had been reluctant to help Ukraine for too long. Finally, he states that “even PiS supporters” support Poland’s membership in the European Union (which may refute his thesis on the current government’s “anti-European” policies). Maybe in a different language, maybe more polite (although he no longer shows this courtesy towards the government of his own country, accusing him, as we saw above, of being the worst), but still the same that those allegedly pro-Putin PiS politicians have long discussed. .

So why does he start with attacks and accusations, and even point out that the current Polish authorities disagree with Minister Baerbock’s postulates, while most of them also coincide with what PiS representatives have been talking about for years (and even when representatives of the political camp Smolar was pleased with Putin’s speech on the Westerplatte and called the Kaczynski brothers “Russophobes”), and would perhaps only discuss “liberal values”, which are one of the “grounds for collective action”? Does that imply that the current government does not agree with condemnation of Russia or support for Ukraine? With the need to strengthen NATO?

And what’s more – who is served by this kind of slur that looks like one big rant like “Mrs. Baerbock, do something about PiS?” Maybe not Poland or Germany.

aja / Wyborcza.pl