Poland has made it illegal to discuss their role in the holocaust.

[Skytotem]

So, a quick summary of events I came across.

Person 1: I just saw the weirdest ad on YouTube. I thought it was for a new WWII video game, but it didn’t seem to be selling anything - it looked like some kind of weird pro-Poland propaganda and just said “Poland did a lot to save the Jews” and then ended with a hashtag about Germany.

What… what did I just watch, and why was it on a YouTube video about sea slugs in America?

Person 2: as far as I can tell, poland has made it illegal (!) to accuse them of being complicit in any nazi activity which occurred on polish soil, most sensible people objected to this, and the polish government are now putting weird propaganda ads on american youtube for unclear reasons

Person 1 Again: Hey… Poland? What the fuck?

Person 3: Yeah they’re basically pulling all the propaganda out that they can saying that they weren’t AT ALL complicit in the murder of Jews and Roma along with the Nazis.

Person 4:

This is a part of Poland’s massive push to erase their own complicity in the Holocaust, and in post-Holocaust antisemitic violence. It is part of Poland’s rising antisemitism. It’s not just American youtube, however. It’s also Israeli youtube. So essentially, Poland is targeting the two countries in the world which have the largest Jewish populations today with this propaganda campaign.

There are multiple advertisements doing this.

I have yet to see one, but I will report any if they show up while I’m watching youtube.

Basically, here is a quick timeline of current related events which make this propaganda campaign terrifying:

60,000 far-right nationalists march on Poland’s independence day, Novermber 2017. chanting “Pure Poland! White Poland!” [Whoops, guess they forgot Nazi Germany saw them as Slavs and therefore lesser? Oh right, re-writing national myth is a part of fascism.] Demonstrators were highly antisemitic, one claimed he was marching against “Jewry.” Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the Polish government seemed to praise the event: “It was a beautiful sight,” the interior minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, said. “We are proud that so many Poles have decided to take part in a celebration connected to the Independence Day holiday.”

Late Jan 2018: Poland’s senate passes on a bill proposing a ban on phrases like “Polish death camps,” - and proposes jail time for the use of such language. The law also seems to ban “people from accusing Poland of Holocaust atrocities committed by the Nazis,” even when complicity in atrocities is historical fact.
The text is as follows:

“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… or for any other offenses 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 three years.”

Discussion of ANY Polish complicity in the Holocaust is therefore also part of the proposed ban. Punishment can be jail time, fine, or “restriction of liberty.” Supporters of Polish President Andrzej Duda urge him to sign the bill regardless of strong objections from both the United States, Israel, and the academic community/Holocaust scholars. The measure passed through Parliament on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan 27th 2018. This causes Israel to postpone diplomatic meetings with Polish representatives, and both Israel and the USA voice objections to the measure.

Immediately after this, Feb. 2nd 2018: ISRAEL’S EMBASSY IN POLAND RECEIVES WAVE OF ANTISEMITIC MESSAGES AFTER HOLOCAUST BILL
The Polish President signs said bill into law, provoking another objection from Israel, and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson releases a critical statement on the law.

February 6th, 2018: an article which asks an important question – Poland wants to outlaw blaming Poles for Nazi atrocities. But what about the Jedwabne massacre? To cut to the chase, in an occupied town of Poland in 1941, the Polish residents rounded up the town’s Jewish population, and then willingly (and freely) slaughtered an estimated 400-1,400 of their Jewish neighbors [numbers are estimates as the site was not fully excavated, but rather exhumed in a controlled section], as German forces looked on. The Germans had even refused to let them use firearms, and so the gentile Polish residents of Jedwabne used farm tools as their method of execution.


Following the end of the Holocaust is another example people are worried is banned from discussion. In 1946, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, Polish gentiles in Kielce held a pogrom against Holocaust survivors returning home. They murdered 42 Jewish Holocaust survivors.

Then, as of this Shabbat (Saturday, Feb. 10th 2018), jumblr users begin to post warnings about Americans seeing these Pro-revisionism Polish videos on youtube. Others confirm Israelis have been inundated with these videos as well. Although I don’t know if it began earlier, I have noticed that people started first seeing these ads introduced on the Jewish weekly holy day/day of rest, and I do wonder if slipping them in when many Jewish people wouldn’t have noticed was intentional, which feels especially sinister.

Today, Feb 12th 2018, Jerusalem Post asks: WHY IS THE POLISH GOVERNMENT TARGETING ISRAELI WEB USERS? The only other article I’ve found that is also about this new propaganda campaign is on a site I am unfamiliar with called Sputnik International News: Poland Rolls Out Social Media Campaign to Justify New Holocaust Bill. [Edit: thanks to @philosoraptrix who gave me a Newsweek link suggesting that may be a Russian propaganda site.]
Oh and to TOP IT ALL OFF, this is all now followed by Poland attempting to further restrict/ban Kosher (and by extension, Halal) slaughter. Because the fast way to criminalize being Jewish or Muslim is to criminalize how we eat.
Addition I forgot:

9 December 2017: Poland desecrates Jewish cemetery; digs up graves and dumps human remains in a pile in order to make way for a parking lot.

And so you might ask, "SKY why the hell do you give a shit about the rising tide of antisemitism in Poland?" To which I answer, Why the fuck wouldn't I give a shit this is not only bigoted it's intellectually dishonest. This leads to the dehumanizing of people based on race and ethnicity, this is an excuse, an attempted coverup, it's disgusting in the extreme and we should all be insulted that any modern country in the world would attempt to lie so blatantly to its people AND in propaganda videos to the citizens of other nations.

[Belize]

Poland has had an unfortunate turn towards right-wing radicalism in the past few years. It's a shame.

[Mormolyce]

Who could've Warsaw this coming?

[Flarelaine]

Eastern Expansion was a catastrophic error. Those states were on their way to become proper democracies but they needed more time and the carrot and stick of accession would have gotten them there. The UK rushed the process on behalf of the US and now we've given them the carrot, we have no stick and we are just glaring at each other angrily.

You are arguably right. And please note my location.

[mvaliz]

Who could've Warsaw this coming?

...

/grabs a rolled up newspaper

/smacks you on the nose

“No! Bad Dog! Shame on you! Never do that again!”

[Deleted]

Once again we see the truth of the far right's quest towards freedom of speech - they only want it for themselves.

[Deleted]

Poland is right, u can't blame entire nation cuz individuals decisions. N certainly not the state since there was none at the time. For years german-americans have made propaganda articles "polish death camps" fuck off with that shit!

As for all the people whining in these threads demanding collective guilt of poland, these posters are in others threads defending religion of peace migrants "only a few bad apples!"

[Machismo]

Poland is right, u can't blame entire nation cuz individuals decisions. N certainly not the state since there was none at the time. For years german-americans have made propaganda articles "polish death camps" fuck off with that shit!

As for all the people whining in these threads demanding collective guilt of poland, these posters are in others threads defending religion of peace migrants "only a few bad apples!"

I think it's really about people complaining about the government trying to stifle free speech. I think you missed the entire point of it all.

[JohnBrown1917]

Poland is right, u can't blame entire nation cuz individuals decisions. N certainly not the state since there was none at the time. For years german-americans have made propaganda articles "polish death camps" fuck off with that shit!

As for all the people whining in these threads demanding collective guilt of poland, these posters are in others threads defending religion of peace migrants "only a few bad apples!"

Saying no poles helped the nazis is also wrong as fuck.

[Deleted]

Saying no poles helped the nazis is also wrong as fuck.

Nobody is saying that.

[zorkuus]

Poland is right, u can't blame entire nation cuz individuals decisions.

What does that have to do with talking about history? Just because a past is unpleseant doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[Deleted]

Are u guys just copy-pasting one-liners from the liberal twitter accounts ur following that are just as clueless? Nobody is denying crimes, but saying poland has no collective guilt because
A. Was no polish state then
B. Germany did it
C. Civilians = individuals committed crimes, not the polish nation. Individuals are guilty of their OWN DEEDS which you can't lay at the feet of an entire country that was occupied and no apparatus to dictate.

Just cuz u liberals have a guilt fetish n even for things entirely unrelated to you for brownie points, doesn't mean eastern europe wants to adopt this twisted self loathing.

[GennGreymane]

Are u guys just copy-pasting one-liners from the liberal twitter accounts ur following that are just as clueless? Nobody is denying crimes, but saying poland has no collective guilt because
A. Was no polish state then
B. Germany did it
C. Civilians = individuals committed crimes, not the polish nation. Individuals are guilty of their OWN DEEDS which you can't lay at the feet of an entire country that was occupied and no apparatus to dictate.

Just cuz u liberals have a guilt fetish n even for things entirely unrelated to you for brownie points, doesn't mean eastern europe wants to adopt this twisted self loathing.

Why do you want to make history illegal?

[Machismo]

Are u guys just copy-pasting one-liners from the liberal twitter accounts ur following that are just as clueless? Nobody is denying crimes, but saying poland has no collective guilt because
A. Was no polish state then
B. Germany did it
C. Civilians = individuals committed crimes, not the polish nation. Individuals are guilty of their OWN DEEDS which you can't lay at the feet of an entire country that was occupied and no apparatus to dictate.

Just cuz u liberals have a guilt fetish n even for things entirely unrelated to you for brownie points, doesn't mean eastern europe wants to adopt this twisted self loathing.

It's a shame when you watch people argue against freedom of speech, and in favor of government-mandated ignorance.

[Deleted]

Death Camps in Poland were Polish

Ah, you are german, figures. Still mad about Danzig? You can't lessen ur guilt by slapping it on others, you know? It was your nazi-german concentration camps, you can't change history.

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It's a shame when you watch people argue against freedom of speech, and in favor of government-mandated ignorance.

Slander and many things are not always protected in any country by free speech, there's no such absolute. Anywhere.

[Machismo]

Ah, you are german, figures. Still mad about Danzig? You can't lessen ur guilt by slapping it on others, you know? It was your nazi-german concentration camps, you can't change history.

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Slander and many things are not always protected in any country by free speech, there's no such absolute. Anywhere.

This isn't just about slander, is it? I'm going to go ahead and side with freedom on this one, thanks.

[Deleted]

I am Greek and my village has a WW2 mass grave. I love how you also did not read the rest of that sentence. Or perhaps you did and you education in English syntax is poor.

I read your nonsense how you wanted to slip "polish death camps" as something it's correct to say.

Who cares about your village?? Are you blaming Poland for that too?

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This isn't just about slander, is it? I'm going to go ahead and side with freedom on this one, thanks.

But it most certainly is. If a 100 individuals commit murder in your country, are you then a nation of murderers? That's slander, plain and simple.

It's quite obvious u liberals are so attached to guilt so u can smash borders n de-platform yourselves, eastern europe won't follow down your suicidal path. Why else are you trying to blame all of poland for the actions of some individuals?

Keep cutting your vrists n be emo all you want, we don't want to import that garbage mentality.

[Machismo]

I read your nonsense how you wanted to slip "polish death camps" as something it's correct to say.

Who cares about your village?? Are you blaming Poland for that too?

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But it most certainly is. If a 100 individuals commit murder in your country, are you then a nation of murderers? That's slander, plain and simple.

It's quite obvious u liberals are so attached to guilt so u can smash borders n de-platform yourselves, eastern europe won't follow down your suicidal path. Why else are you trying to blame all of poland for the actions of some individuals?

Keep cutting your vrists n be emo all you want, we don't want to import that garbage mentality.

Yes, you are a nation of murderers, if that's what a person wants to say. It's not slander, at least not in the United States. then again, we value freedom of speech a lot more than most other countries, especially Poland.

I'm not a liberal, I'm a libertarian. This is about freedom of speech, and it's a concerted attempt by the Polish government to restrict that speech. Let's not forget, the very same people cheering on this restriction, are the ones whining when a government tries to silence or punish Nazis.

As for whining about immigration, that's a clear deflection. This is about freedom of speech, try and keep up. It's a shame you hate freedom so much.

[Deleted]

Libertarial ideas are not part of the real world, that's why 0.00000000001% think they are actually something to listen to. The lacking of the human character totally turns your idealistic ideas into childish fantasies.

And don't speak about freedom. Poland was around before america, is polish still and has a clear polish future while you are turning into northern mexico. Don't undermine your own foundations and then come here lecturing how to run a country. Poland will still be here when America ends in the history books.

[Machismo]

Libertarial ideas are not part of the real world, that's why 0.00000000001% think they are actually something to listen to. The lacking of the human character totally turns your idealistic ideas into childish fantasies.

And don't speak about freedom. Poland was around before america, is polish still and has a clear polish future while you are turning into northern mexico. Don't undermine your own foundations and then come here lecturing how to run a country. Poland will still be here when America ends in the history books.

So, now you are trying to deflect once again. You keep trying to make this about things it isn't. It's abut freedom of speech, plain and simple.

Why can't I speak about freedom? Your argument makes no sense. Is that supposed to mean that only Greece, or Mesopotamia is allowed to talk about freedom? Once again, that is a ridiculous attempt to deflect.

My support is simple, I support individual liberty, limited government, and the free markets. You seem to be opposed to all those ideals, such a shame.

I get it, you hve no argument other than supporting government oppression, so you feel the need to resort to deflections and whataboutisms. Honestly, it's pathetic.