Poles abroad urged to document, report ‘anti-Polish’ statements

Poland’s senate leader is appealing to Poles living abroad to report to the authorities any statements deemed to hurt “Poland’s good name” — part of a wider campaign by the government to defend the country against what it calls “historical untruth” and “slander.”

The letter, posted recently on the Senate’s website and reported by German media, is linked to a controversial new law that penalizes attributing the crimes of Nazi Germany during the World War II to the Polish nation. The government insists it is not to block historical research, but critics say its wording is unclear.

The legislation that criminalizes accusing the Polish nation or state for the crimes of the Holocaust has sparked a diplomatic crisis with Israel, which says it will inhibit free speech about the Holocaust. The United States also strongly opposes the legislation, saying it could hurt Poland’s strategic relations with Israel and the US.

— with AP