Posted on 09/01/2019 9:02:40 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday asked Poland’s forgiveness for history’s bloodiest conflict during a ceremony in the Polish city of Wielun, where the first World War II bombs fell 80 years ago. “I bow my head before the victims of the attack on Wielun. I bow my head before the Polish victims of Germany’s tyranny. And I ask forgiveness,” Steinmeier said in both German and Polish.
“It is the Germans who committed a crime against humanity in Poland. Anyone who claims it is over, that the national-socialists’ reign of terror over Europe is a marginal event in German history judges that for himself."
The line appeared to be a clear reference to the German far-right, whose co-leader Alexander Gauland once called the 12-year Third Reich a “speck of bird poop” in an otherwise glorious German past.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
“y dad’s side has roots that go back to Alsace/Elsass, and as far as I can tell, the name remained phonetically the same, ...
.....
I know of a German-speaking region of Italy, acquired after the war, where more people still speak German than Italian.
A year or two ago, the newly elected Conservative party in Austria was making noises about giving the German speakers Austrian passports.
It didn’t go over well in Rome, as you can imagine.
...and what did Poland say?
While Steinmeier may be contrite,
Steinmeier isn’t being contrite. He’s an old school SPD pinko trying to score political points here linking Nazi Germany with modern day opposition to his politics. You’ll know he is genuinely contrite when he refers to WW2 “German” concentration camps instead of the usual “Nazi” concentration camps the Germans use to cloak responsibility for them. That won’t be happening, of course.
I’m in Warsaw and went to the ceremony today. I spoke with quite a few Poles and the majority all said “F$#@ the Russians” and that Germany is finished because of their immigration policy. One man said that he believes the US will move their bases in Germany to Poland.
I think my post my be poorly-worded.
I was saying that the Russians need to be the ones apologizing more to the Poles these days for invading them to the east, occupying a massive piece of their territory, and then annexing it to the USSR without any compunction that they did to them exactly what the Germans did (including having virtual overlordship of their nation for almost 45 years), and never once said that it was wrong (as far as I can find).
On top of that, we know about the Soviets letting the Germans stamp out the Warsaw uprising, and then the decapitating of the Polish government-in-exile so that a Soviet-backed one would be the main voice for them. And do I need to mention Katyn?
I think the Poles are aware of the Germans regret and shame over Poland (Willy Brandt expressed it sincerely). Maybe it is time for the Russians to take their turn.
Exactly. Why apologize? You got your asses kicked. If you weren’t weak, then you wouldn’t be in that situation.
If anything, Poland has been the country that has been invaded time after time and Russia and Germany needs to apologize, but they don’t get their territory back. Besides, Poland’s borders have changed over the years and I don’t see anyone giving Poland’s territory back.
No kidding
Have the Russians issued the Poles an apology
I know a wwii polish woman who survived the Germans well enough but she said the Russians were savages
She was not Jewish for the record
Don’t you think this might be similar to expecting slave reparations in the US? The Germans of today didn’t invade Poland.
Yes, precisely like slave reparations in the US.
F uck Germany. There shouldn’t even be a Germany....they should have been”Dresdened” into oblivion in the latter days of the war. A Dresden in every major city. We should have united with the Soviets in completely destroying that monstrous nation.
I am all for Poland taking back that it lost to USSR after WWII. Also in order to be consistent it makes sense for Poland to give back to Germany that USSR took from Germany and gave to Poland.
It is only fair.
“” “” Don’t you think this might be similar to expecting slave reparations in the US? The Germans of today didn’t invade Poland.”” “”
Another brilliant point but it flies way over heads of people possessed by offended victim mentality.
The apologies were issued more than once. To issue it daily is tiresome.
“Also in order to be consistent it makes sense for Poland to give back to Germany that USSR took from Germany and gave to Poland.
It is only fair.”
Yeah, no.
The land is payment for being invaded under false premises by to despotic regimes and the systematic genocide of its citizens and destruction of its cities.
Meanwhile, Merkel's government has claimed that Poland had concluded German payments in 1953. But who was in charge to conclude those payments?
Slave reparatations? I dunno. In what way is that similar?
Offended victum mentality might then be blamed of anyone who gets robbed or murdered and complains. But a mentality doesn’t concern justice.
The Germans apologize and continue to do so. I feel that soon there needs to be an end to that - forgive but not forget.
The Germans remember what evil their grandfathers did and bow their heads in shame.
This is how a civilized nation acts. Kudos to them for acknowledging the past
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