A recent article in Germany’s Die Welt newspaper addressing Poland’s claim for WWII reparations from Germany sparked outrage among government officials in Warsaw.
In his text, German journalist Jacques Schuster argues that the attitude of Poles under German occupation left “much to be desired”. He even referred to Warsaw’s demand for reparations as an attempt to turn attention away from the country’s political issues.
https://twitter.com/JoKingScholar/status/1610931183000371201?s=20&t=VgEwhKH-qLJTBeaZrjujiQ
Schuster continued by stressing the need to find out why Poles passively witnessed the Jewish Ghetto Uprising of 1943 which took place in Warsaw and “did little to help Jews” in this context.
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Paweł Jabłoński reacted to the scandalous article by drawing attention to the numerous examples of Polish heroism during the conflict. He invited the German editor to visit Poland in order to get a better understanding of what was really happening in Poland between 1939 and 1945.
Addressing the issue of reparation claims by Warsaw, Jabłoński reminded Schuster that six million Poles were killed by Germany during WWII. He emphasised that the country was looted to a considerable extent, yet never adequately repaid for all the damage.
The Pilecki Institute’s branch in Berlin also replied to Die Welt’s article, underlining the courage displayed by numerous Poles in protecting Jews against their German invader.
Jacques Schuster can manipulate, lie and attempt to dilute German responsibility all he wants in @welt, but it will not change the truth of the German occupation in Poland, nor the fact that Poles deserve reparations. pic.twitter.com/Hqh3SNFdCu
— Stefan Tompson (@StefanTompson) January 6, 2023
According to Marion Brandt, from the German studies department at Gdańsk University, the article is an attempt to make Poles share the burden of responsibility for the Holocaust.
On 3 October 2022, Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau handed a diplomatic note to Germany concerning reparations for damages committed by this state on Poland during WWII. Poland estimates its WWII losses caused by Germany at €1.3 trillion.
Germans murdered 5 million Poles. After the war SS butchers held high state offices in Germany. And now that (sic!) from Schuster, one of the most important journalists? Disgusting. It can be seen that there are many followers of Goebbels in todays Germany. https://t.co/niPTQFTX4O
— Kacper Płażyński (@KacperPlazynski) January 6, 2023
Three months later, Germany officially replied to the above-mentioned note by reiterating Berlin’s well-known stance that “the issue is closed”.
Image: IPN
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
From the editor:
To date, 7,177 Christian Poles (more than any other country) have been awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel, more than those of any other nation (to compare Germany just 641). Poles constitute the largest national group within the Righteous Among the Nations recognised by Yad Vashem. 27.921 people have been recognised so far. More than 25% of which were Polish. You can read more at the official Yad Vashem website. We need to remember that throughout the German occupation of Poland, many Poles risked their own lives – and the lives of their families – to rescue Jews from the Germans. This is a most impressive number considering the harsh punishment that threatened rescuers. Polish citizens were hampered by the most extreme conditions in all of German-occupied Europe. Occupied Poland was the only territory where the Germans decreed that any kind of help for Jews was punishable by death for the helper and their entire family. At least 50.000 Poles were executed by the Germans solely as a penalty for saving Jews.
