Poland moves to make use of phrase 'Polish death camps' criminal offense

[TomSea]

Poland moves to make use of phrase 'Polish death camps' criminal offense
Marcin Goettig

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish lawmakers approved a bill on Friday that makes it a crime, punishable by up to three years in prison, to use statements suggesting Poland bears responsibility for crimes against humanity committed by Nazi Germany.

The bill will also make it illegal to deny the murder of about 100,000 Poles by units in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two, a move likely to increase tensions with neighbouring Ukraine. Artistic and scientific activity will be exempt.

Poles have fought for years against the use of phrases like “Polish death camps”, which suggest Poland was at least partly responsible for the camps where millions people, mostly Jews, were killed by Nazi Germany. The camps were built and operated by the Nazis after they invaded Poland in 1939.

Read more at: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-poland-holocaust/poland-moves-to-make-use-of-phrase-polish-death-camps-criminal-offence-idUKKBN1FF2Q1

Didn't Obama err and say something like this once?

I almost always support Israel; but here I disagree with Israel. Israel takes exception to this bill.

Israel criticizes bill banning statements implicating Poland in Holocaust
Ari Rabinovitch, Marcin Goettig

JERUSALEM/WARSAW (Reuters) - Israel called on Poland on Saturday to amend a bill approved this week by Polish lawmakers that would make it illegal to suggest Poland bore any responsibility for crimes against humanity committed by Nazi Germany on its soil.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed his ambassador to meet Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to express opposition to the bill, which would make using phrases like “Polish death camps” punishable by up to three years in prison.

“The law is baseless, I strongly oppose it. One cannot change history and the Holocaust cannot be denied,” Netanyahu said, in comments mirrored by other senior Israeli officials.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-poland/israel-criticizes-bill-banning-statements-implicating-poland-in-holocaust-idUSKBN1FG0TZ

[Right_in_Virginia]

I'm with Poland on this.   These were and will always remain Nazi death camps.

[dfwgator]

Didn't Obama err and say something like this once?

I almost always support Israel; but here I disagree with Israel. Israel takes exception to this bill.

Disappointed in Bibi.  Nobody is denying the Holocaust.  But I know there are some idiots out there who really think the Poles had something to do with The Holocaust.   

I might add, that not a single Pole was used as a guard at the Camps, while there were plenty of Ukrainians who did serve as guards.   Now ask yourself, why wouldn't the Nazis use Slavic Poles, when they used Slavic Ukrainians as Camp Guards?  Certainly there were anti-semitic Poles who probably would have volunteered, but the Nazis didn't allow them.

[Smokin Joe]

No one is denying the atrocities of the camps, just guaranteeing correct attribution for those atrocities.

[edpc]

Anti-Semetism was gaining momentum in Europe during the years between the World Wars.  There were plenty of people in occupied territory all too happy to see Jews rounded up and deported.  That said, it was strictly on the Nazi regime for developing and implementing plans for the Holocaust.