Posted on 07/14/2022 9:44:03 AM PDT by tlozo
Poland has accused Belarus of ‘barbarism’ after a Polish WWII memorial was ‘razed to the ground’.
The memorial in the western village of Mikuliszki contains the remains of the wartime headquarters of a Polish Home Army unit whose members died in combat in the area in 1944.
Belarusian website glosznadniemna.pl ran several pictures of the location, showing only bare earth where the headquarters and crosses commemorating the fallen soldiers had stood.
The Home Army (AK) was the main resistance movement in Poland during World War Two.
Posting on social media, MP Robert Tyszkiewicz, Chairman of the Committee for Liaison with Poles Abroad described the incident as: “A barbaric act of state vandalism against the graves of the Home Army soldiers in Belarus.”
Belarusian website glosznadniemna.pl ran several pictures of the location, showing only bare earth where the headquarters and crosses commemorating the fallen soldiers had stood.
Also removed was a plaque explaining the nature of the site.
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now demanded Belarusian authorities explain the incident.
Marek Zaniewski, vice-president of the Union of Poles in Belarus, said: “Unfortunately, acts of vandalism on Polish memorial sites in Belarus are taking place more and more often.”
A ministry spokesman said: “We appeal to the Belarusian authorities to immediately put an end to acts of vandalism in cemeteries and to reveal and account for the perpetrators.
“Poland firmly demands respect for the graves and commemoration of the deceased.
The memorial was erected in the 1990s and most recently remained under the care of the Union of Poles in Belarus (ZPB).
“This issue, in line with international standards, should be completely excluded from the current political disputes.”
The buried soldiers, mainly from the locally stationed 3rd and 6th AK Brigades, died fighting between January and July, 1944.
The memorial was erected in the 1990s and most recently remained under the care of the Union of Poles in Belarus (ZPB).
Makes no sense. By 1944 Russia and Poland were both fighting the Nazis.
The Polish Home Army fought against the Nazis. But it can also be described as an anti-communist organization. So much so that after the war Stalin had many of its leaders executed or imprisoned.
I wonder if that he anything to do with the memorial being destroyed.
I suppose that’s true if there are no laws protecting monuments such as this one. However, relationships between countries are often tenuous; and Belarus, being a puppet of Russia (whose history has been belligerent towards Poland and other bordering countries for centuries) shows it’s loyalty by sticking its finger in Poland’s eye. Sad, given all these countries mauling and incredible loss of life by the invading German armies in WWII. I guess memories are short, hence the repeat of war through out history. I don’t know if Poland exhibited any negative behavior towards Belarus since the fall of the Soviet state, however, if this is any indication of their long term view of relations with Eastern Europe, it’s only beginning. Russia’s paranoia of the West continues, and it’s puppet states help to show it. My two cents.
Stalin was able to keep the portion of Poland that they conquered as a spoil of war. Poland was awarded a smaller portion of eastern German territory in compensation.
Poland was the only nation that fought on the Allied side to end the war with less territory that it started with.
Ribbentrop was hanged at Nuremberg for signing the pact with Molotov that launched the war. Russia got to keep their conquests.
Easy, ... Belarusians acting like Elite, Wokester, Virtue Signalling Americans!
Perfectly proper by American Standards.
Belarus can destroy whatever monuments they want in their country same as Poland can.. Its their country.
Maybe Putin should begin “denazifying” Belarus
“Makes no sense. By 1944 Russia and Poland were both fighting the Nazis.”
Makes no sense. By 1944 Russia and the USA were both fighting the Nazis.
So you want us to pull down Polish monuments here in the USA? Why?
The Russians were also fighting the AK at the same time.
The Poles are right to be pissed off about this. The is is the same erasure of history that we have here regarding Civil War monuments and of monuments to past Americans who were not perfect in the eyes of the leftist Biden regime. The very same Bidenista leftist animals that you cheer on in the Ukraine War.
Ah! Got it.
Sounds like Tit for Tat.
“So you want us to pull down Polish monuments here in the USA? Why?”
Troll Alert! I made no reference to Polish monuments!
Then what are you saying? I’m open to all points of view and am interested in yours.
“Then what are you saying? I’m open to all points of view and am interested in yours.”
Just because two countries fought together almost 100 years ago doesn’t mean they were or are friends.
Got it. Makes sense.
Understandable, but they had to know that once they started removing the Soviet monuments, that this kind of thing would happen.
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