PiS – Faith Matters

Poland: EU steps up legal case to safeguard judicial independence

Faith Matters — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 09:14:11 +0000

The European Commission on Tuesday stepped up its latest legal case against Poland, where the ruling nationalists stand accused of bulldozing the independence of courts and judges, thereby undercutting democracy.

Governed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, the EU’s largest ex-communist state has most recently enacted laws forcing into early retirement many Supreme Court judges. The bloc, rights groups and domestic political opposition decry that as going against the rule of law.

These moves came after the PiS had already exchanged many judges at the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and heads of many regular courts, while also tightening its grip on public media and controls over non-government groups since coming to power in late 2015.

Now, the head of the Polish Supreme Court has been defying the new law and the situation risks paralysing the court, which validates election results in the country of 38 million people.

“The Commission maintains that the Polish law is incompatible with EU law as it undermines the principle of judicial independence, including the irremovability of judges,” said the EU’s executive on Tuesday as it took to a second level a formal infringement procedure against Warsaw.

Poland now has a month to make amends or the Commission will file a lawsuit at the bloc’s top European Court of Justice.

But the PiS remains defiant and enjoys broad public support – largely thanks to generous social spending – despite its many bitter feuds with the EU.

Neo-Fascist ONR, Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny, Offshoot in Manchester

Faith Matters — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 23:55:51 +0000

Oboz Narodowo-Radykalny, (ONR), is also known as the National Radical Camp. It is a fascist and far right organisation which considers itself to be a legacy of the antisemitic movement of the same name which existed during the Second World War.

Three days ago, members of the ONR celebrated an anniversary of the organisation in Gdansk, the heartland of the ‘Solidarnosc’ or Solidarity movement. It was the 84th anniversary of the movement and hosting the march with uniform clad individuals in the heart of Gdansk was a chilling message sent out to others in the nation. Gdansk holds a special place in the heart of many Poles as it was the start of the liberation movement from Communism. By marching in Gdansk, the message was clear, that far right groups were part of Poland.

Speaking at the event held in a historic hall in Gdansk, the former ONR chairman Artur Zienkiewicz said,

“Poland must remain uniformly culturally and homogeneously ethnic. We will defend our frontiers against immigrants.”

According to Gazeta Wyborcza, a march took place in the streets of Gdansk with several hundred uniformed marchers shouting slogans which included, “we will fight for the Homeland” and “Great Poland, we will defend our holy faith”.

This is a menacing video of ONR members walking through the streets of Gdansk.

In response to this march, the legendary Solidarnosc leader and former President of Poland, Lech Walesa, waded in with the following tweets:

https://twitter.com/PresidentWalesa/status/985394318751002624

Walesa’s Twitter comment highlighted the threat that he saw coming from the ONR.

“Are these the “values” Poles fought in December 1970 and August 1980 in Gdańsk? I ask when will PiS delegalise them? What do we all wait until they occupy (the) authorities?”

Tentacles to Manchester

In the UK, ONR go by the name of “Narodowa Emigracja” or ‘Nationalist Emigration’. Whilst they are limited to a Facebook group, their activist base is small and based in and around Manchester. About a week ago, activists held a gathering to commemorate the Katyn massacre, the mass execution of Polish military officers by the Soviets in April 1940. The commemoration was held at the Southern Cemetery in Manchester.

What is particularly worrying is that children can be seen at this memorial meeting and there are potential safeguarding risks here. The arm-bands of ONR are clearly visible as are flags of the neo-fascist group, this in Manchester in the United Kingdom.

This information will be passed onto the authorities within the UK given the potential of safeguarding risks to children.

Polish President Denounces Anti-Semitism, Xenophobia and Racism Following Far-Right March

Faith Matters — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 16:40:43 +0000

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday there was no place in Poland for xenophobia, anti-Semitism and “sick nationalism”, denouncing hate speech at a nationalist march in Warsaw in comments later echoed by ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Jewish groups have called on the Polish authorities to condemn the message of banners with slogans such as “pure blood, clear mind” or “Europe will be white or uninhabited” that some nationalists carried at a march on Nov. 11 – the anniversary of Polish independence from Russia, Austria and Germany at the end of World War One.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators attended a march through Warsaw organised by far-right groups on Saturday, carrying flares and Polish flags, many chanting anti-migrant slogans.

The Independence March has become an annual event in recent years, separate from official ceremonies to mark the holiday, and has attracted many people apart from far-right sympathisers.

The government of the right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS) condemned the racist banners, but not the march itself. PiS won election in 2015 partly thanks to support from younger voters, who have increasingly embraced right-wing views in recent years.

“Extremely bad incidents have taken place,” Kaczynski said, calling the banners a marginal phenomenon and “disgraceful rubbish”. “Polish tradition – the one we invoke – has nothing to do with anti-Semitism, we are as far as possible from that, nothing to do with racism.”

He also said that tens of thousands of “decent” people had come to the march to express their attachment to Poland.

The PiS government refused to take in migrants mostly from the Middle East and North Africa under an EU relocation deal, arguing that it could put public safety at risk. The party enjoys the steady support of more than a third of Poles.

Poland was for generations home to one of Europe’s biggest Jewish communities, until nearly all perished in Nazi death camps during German occupation in World War Two.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) lobby group urged Polish authorities on Monday to speak out against the far-right, saying it threatened “the core values of Poland and its standing abroad”.

Duda responded to the banners by saying: “There is no place or permission or in our country for xenophobia, there is no permission for sick nationalism, there is no place for anti-Semitism … Such attitudes mean an exclusion from our society.”

Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said marches to celebrate Independence Day were important and should not be marred by “absolutely unacceptable” banners. The PiS spokeswoman said no one with such banners should have taken part in the march.