Polish Town Wins Kudos for Keeping Soviet-Era Monument

“Dear friends, let us show our solidarity with and support for the authorities of the Polish town of Rzeszow, who refused to dismantle  the Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army,” Andrei Vypolzov, the editor of Newsbalt Internet portal, wrote on his Facebook page.

“Just write DZIEKUJEMY RZESZOWI ZA PAMIEC (Thank You Rzeszow for Not Forgetting), make a selfie and post it on your Facebook page with the address of the Polish town’s official Facebook account (Rzeszów — stolica innowacji)with the hashtag #‎thanks_Rzeszow,” he added.

Taking a cue from Poland, Ukraine has taken down hundreds of Soviet-era monuments as part of the g campaign of “de-Communization,” a move sponsored by the so-called Institutes of National Remembrance – nongovernment organizations out to destroy the historical heritage of the Soviet Union and its allies.

The town authorities in Rzeszow have refused to tear down the Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army arguing that thousands of Soviet soldiers had sacrificed their lives liberating the town during WW2.

According to a recent poll, almost 90 percent of local residents said they wanted the monument to stay.

There is a similar story happening in Legnitsa whose residents are equally opposed to the government’s plans to demolish a monument to Soviet soldiers who died liberating Poland from Nazi occupation during the Second World War.