California’s State Assembly denounces Polish legislation against “Polish death camps”
California’s State Assembly calls on the US Congress to push Poland to abandon the amendment of Act on the Institute of National Remembrance
As the Jewish online newspaper San Diego Jewish World reported, the State Assembly of California called on the US Congress to urge Poland to “abandon a gag rule that seems to encourage revisionist history.”
“More than 60 Assembly members joined Assemblymember Marc Levine, D-Marin County, as co-authors to Assembly Joint Resolution 35. The resolution establishes formal opposition to a recently adopted Polish law that threatens a three-year prison sentence to those who suggest Polish complicity in Nazi crimes against humanity during World War II.”
Marc Levine (D-Marin County), chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus said: “Poland’s law limiting speech about the Holocaust is a gross misjudgment that dooms us to repeat the horrors of the past.” He added that “Auschwitz, perhaps the most notorious and widely known of the death camps, was in Poland.“
Actually, Poland’s law doesn’t limit speech about the Holocaust but it makes sure that inaccurate and offensive terms like “Polish death camps” are not used by the media. It is also not correct to claim that Auschwitz death camp was in Poland. In fact, shortly after the outbreak of WWII, the city of Auschwitz was annexed to German Third Reich.
Sue Knight, a member of Polish Media Issues commented: “This is chilling, but not surprising, as clearly this law is seen as something that will seriously impede the political agenda that is moving Poland into the Axis camp.“
Why has the State Assembly never condemned the offensive term “Polish camps” and it now attacks Polish legislation fighting against Holocaust denial?
What the law actually states:
“…after art. 55, the following art.55a and art. 55b are inserted:
“Art. 55a. 1. Whoever publicly and contrary to the facts attributes to the Polish Nation or to the Polish State responsibility or co-responsibility for the Nazi crimes committed by the German Third Reich, as specified in Article 6 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal – Annex to the Agreement for the prosecution and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis, executed in London on 8 August 1945 (Journal of Laws of 1947, item 367), or for any other offences constituting crimes against peace, humanity or war crimes, or otherwise grossly diminishes the responsibility of the actual perpetrators of these crimes, shall be liable to a fine or deprivation of liberty for up to 3 years. The judgment shall be communicated to the public.
2. If the perpetrator of the act specified in section 1 above acts unintentionally, they shall be liable to a fine or restriction of liberty.
3. An offense is not committed if the perpetrator of a prohibited act set out in sections 1 and 2 above acted within the framework of artistic or scientific activity.”
https://www.ms.gov.pl/pl/informacje/news,10368,nowelizacja-ustawy-o-ipn–wersja-w-jezyku.html
Appeal to Polish Americans in California
We appeal to Polish Americans in California to get in touch with the office of Marc Levine (https://a10.asmdc.org/article/contact-staff) and to explain that the Polish law doesn’t differ from the Israeli law in respect to the Holocaust and it doesn’t suppress “speech about the Holocaust.” It makes sure that Poland and Polish people are not blamed for Nazi German war crimes. Please share your opinion also with the Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon: https://speaker.asmdc.org/contact-anthony. Please inform also the Californian media about the controversy: http://assembly.ca.gov/sites/assembly.ca.gov/files/2017-2018_credentialed_media_list_with_photos.pdf
You may use the following text:
“My name is ……. from ……………. I would like to voice my concern over the last decision of the State Assembly to condemn the Polish “Holocaust bill”. It was NOT appropriate of Marc Levine to link anti-Semitism to the Polish legislation. He clearly conflated and confused the issues. I must stress that Poland’s law doesn’t limit speech about the Holocaust but it makes sure that inaccurate and offensive terms like “Polish death camps” are not used by the media. It is also not correct to claim that Auschwitz death camp was in Poland. In fact, shortly after the outbreak of WWII, the city of Auschwitz was annexed to German Third Reich. I disagree with your appeal to the US Congress to urge Poland to “abandon a gag rule that seems to encourage revisionist history.” Your appeal is based on a selected knowledge of Polish history and Polish affairs, and on a misinterpretation of the Polish law. For this reason, I ask the Assembly to invite representatives of the rich Polish community in California for a broader discussion on the WWII education and Polish legislation.”
Picture of the Seal of the California State Assembly (Wikipedia).