Strong reaction of publicists to the scandalous words of Professor Śpiewak. "We appeal for an end to the devastation of Polish public life"

The scandalous words of Professor Paweł Śpiewak about the role of Poles during the Second World War met with strong opposition from journalists, publicists, people of culture and science. Their appeal was published on the website of the Association of Polish Journalists. The signatories include commentators from the weekly „Sieci” and the portal wPolityce.pl.

We have regretfully received press reports about the content of the interview given by Prof. Paweł Śpiewak to the Czech magazine „Tydenik Echo”. Once again, a representative of Polish science accused Poles who, during the German occupation, were supposed to „kill more Jews than Germans”. In this interview Prof. Śpiewak also repeats the never and nowhere proven thesis that Poles „killed most of the 200,000 Jews who had escaped from the ghettos”. We find it highly inappropriate for the Director of the Jewish Historical Institute and an academic professor, to use data that is not confirmed by any serious scientific research

— reads the statement „Appeal of publicists and scientists on the statements of Prof. Paweł Śpiewak”.

Moreover, Prof. Śpiewak, valued by us as an intellectual, described in the above mentioned interview the editor Paweł Lisicki as „one of the greatest anti-Semites in Poland”. The reason for this accusation is the fact that in many philosophical and historiosophical issues, Lisicki presents a different opinion than Prof. Śpiewak. It seems, however, that such a well-deserved representative of Polish science should use substantive arguments while discussing the views of Paweł Lisicki. And yet, Professor Śpiewak is trying to exclude the opponent from the public debate by means of accusations that are as heavy as they are groundless. Considering the merits and achievements of Professor Śpiewak (such as the work „Pamięć po komunizmie”), we appeal for an end to the devastation of Polish public life with statements similar to the above

— emphasize the authors.

The list of signatories includes: Dr. Elżbieta Morawiec, Prof. Aleksander Nalaskowski, Krzysztof Wyszkowski, Prof. Andrzej Nowak, Krzysztof Kłopotowski, Prof. Piotr Witakowski, Rev. Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, Prof. Grzegorz Kucharczyk, ed. Piotr Semka, Prof. Paweł Skibiński, prof. Zbigniew Stawrowski, Arkadiusz Gołębiewski (director), Michał Lorenc (composer), Dr Janusz Janowski (President of ZPAP), Stanisław Markowski (photographer), Miłosz Lodowski (graphic designer), Jan Pietrzak, editor Aleksandra Rybińska, Robert Tekieli, Maciej Pawlicki (director), editor Jan Pospieszalski, editor Paweł Nowacki, Krystian Kratiuk (editor-in-chief of Pch24), Wiktor Świetlik (director of the 3rd Polish Radio Programme), editor Błażej Torański, dr Józef Orzeł (Head of the Ronin club), Tadeusz Płużański (historian), editor Grzegorz Górny, editor Jacek Karnowski, Wojciech Surmacz (President of the Polish Press Agency), editor Michał Karnowski, editor Marzena Nykiel, Prof. Zbigniew Krysiak, editor Tomasz Rowiński (Christianitas), Dr. Barbara Stanisławczyk, Prof. Stanisław Mikołajczak, Prof. Stefan Zawadzki, Krzysztof Skowroński (Head of SDP), Dorota Kania (editor-in-chief of TV Republika).