In an interview with Sputnik, Polish MP Janusz Sanocki, who voted for amendments to the law on the Institute of National Remembrance, said that he was by no means surprised by the angry uproar it had caused abroad, including in Ukraine.
“I knew that our law would not sit well with the Ukrainians, I mean their politicians who are basing their quest for national and state identity on blatant lies about the ‘heroism’ allegedly displayed by the OUN-UPA, by people like Shukhevych and Bandera, dyed-in-the-wool murderers and fascists whom they are touting as heroes! I’m sure that we took the right decision. I voted for it too. Here in Poland, people consider Bandera’s ideology as Nazi and Hitlerite. We outlawed attempts to lionize these criminals,” he said.
“Unfortunately, during the time of Nazi occupation, some Poles reported on Jews, just like there were Jews who served as policemen in Warsaw’s Jewish ghetto! Not all Poles are angels but we really feel offended when we hear about ‘Polish death camps’ which never existed,” he emphasized.
He added that if Ukraine wants to become a civilized country it must denounce Bandera’s ideology and respect all its citizens, Polish, Russian, whoever.
“We know, however, that after the Maidan coup they repealed the law that guaranteed the equal status of languages and of ethnic minorities – sheer nonsense,” Janusz Sanocki noted.
On January 31, the US State Department appealed to Poland to “reevaluate the legislation in light of its potential impact on the principle of free speech and on our ability to be effective partners.”
Sanocki described Poland’s past and present foreign policy as a mistake because it has made the country completely dependent on the United States.
“The US is anything but an apostle of good, truth and love. It’s a mighty power with its own interests, including a close bond with Israel. If the Americans were to choose between Israel and Poland, they would certainly go for Israel. Meanwhile, we have soured our relations with Russia by being foursquare behind Ukraine and taking other strange steps, just as our American Big Brother was dressing us down and bringing us to heel. Our constitution is legitimate, logical and historically correct. We should not let any of the two Big Brothers tell us what to do,” Janusz Sanocki concluded.
READ MORE: Jewish Union Head Warns Poland's Nazi 'Death Camp' Bill Stifles Honest Debate
To become law, the amended bill on the Institute of national Remembrance must now be signed by President Andrzej Duda, who has previously expressed his support.
Violations will be punished by a fine or a jail sentence of up to three years.
