WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland’s ruling party leader claims Germany seeks to dominate Europe. He says that Poles may end up falling under German control. “German heel.” He snubs a German offer of anti-missile systems before Poland eventually accepts them – but gets in an anti-German dig along the way.
Jaroslawkaczynski and his nationalist conservative party have lashed out at Germany in advance of the next year’s election, while trying to make their primary competitor loyal to Berlin.
Many Poles, like others in central Europe, have been critical of Germany´s stance toward Russia in the years leading up to Russia´s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, particularly for gas deals that created dependence on Russian energy and helped Russia build up its war chest.
But critics of the ruling party, Law and Justice, say its anti-German rhetoric is becoming a threat to Poland’s national interests and risks creating a crack between Western allies while Russia wages war in Ukraine.
They have been especially critical of the party’s vacillations over whether to accept a German offer to deploy three Patriot missile defence systems to Poland after a stray missile fell in Poland near the border with Ukraine last month, killing two Poles.
Kaczynski reacted coolly to the offer early on, and said the Patriots should be placed in Ukraine instead — something unacceptable to Germany.
Kaczynski said also that “Germany´s attitude so far gives no reason to believe that they will decide to intercept Russian missiles.”
On Tuesday, Mariusz Blaszczak, Defense Minister of Poland, announced that Poland will accept the Patriots. However, he said that he had been informed by the Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak Tuesday that Poland would accept the Patriots. “disappointed” to have to accept Germany’s “decision to reject the support of Ukraine.”
‘A Terrible Thing’: Germany Hops Ukraine Would Lose the War Against Russia ‘Quickly’ – Boris Johnsonhttps://t.co/nw8wVQq7EH
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 24, 2022
Critics of the government see such slights as an electoral tactic meant to win votes from older Poles who remember World War II, which was sparked by Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland. About half of the Polish population died in this war, which saw 6 million people die.
Many Poles have strong associations with Germany today, as they studied and worked in Germany. Poland’s large west neighbour is both a significant trade partner for Poland as well as an ally of NATO and EU. On Monday, President Andrzej duda will visit Berlin.
Law and Justice faces a tough road as it seeks to win a third term, with challenges including soaring inflation – currently running above 17% – and billions of euros blocked by the EU over what the bloc views as democratic backsliding under the conservative party.
Uncertain how effective anti-German rhetoric next year will be, 77 years after WWII ended and many Poles anxious about the war in Ukraine. Many voters view the economy as their number one concern.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Accuses Germany of Using EU to Create ‘Fourth Reich’ https://t.co/tJ6YxCOmZ4
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 26, 2021
A Polish official visited Berlin last week to demand $1.3 trillion worth of war compensation. Berlin was presented with the bill this fall by the Polish government. Because Berlin has always denied there being a legal basis to pay war reparations, critics see this demand as an election tactic. Warsaw’s government claims that the compensation bill was not timed in conjunction with the election campaign.
Kaczynski accused Germany’s largest nation in the EU of using its position in the bloc in order to rebuild. “Fourth German Reich.”
Last weekend, he returned to the theme of Germany’s alleged efforts to strip sovereignty from EU states and dominate Europe. Berlin claimed that it was using peaceful methods to attain his goals. “it once wanted to implement using military methods.”
He accuses Civic Platform and Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party in Poland, of being loyal towards Germany. They said they would bring Poland to Germany. “under the German heel.”
Tusk, a former EU leader, accuses Kaczynski’s party of eroding democratic norms and wants it to fulfil EU demands, both to safeguard democratic norms and unlock the billions of frozen euros that are part of a pandemic recovery fund.
The allegations of Tusk’s loyalty to Germany are often repeated by state media and government loyalists.
Last week’s parliamentary session saw Jacek Ozdoba, the deputy climate minister, request a suspension of proceedings “so that Civic Platform can watch the match of its German national team, which is playing at the moment”In the World Cup. This caused chaos in the assembly.
Law and Justice have successfully used the memories of German atrocities in order to gain votes.
In the 2005 presidential election, the party revealed that Tusk, the front-runner, had a grandfather who served in Hitler’s army.
It is claimed by some that Tusk’s grandfather was a Polish forced labourer who was enlisted against his will in the Wehrmacht and later fled to join the Polish army, although exact details of wartime service are unclear.
The “Wehrmacht affair”Tusk suffered and was defeated by Lech Kczynski (the late twin brother of current leader).
Pro-EU Germany Aims to Take Back Territory Lost to Poland After War: Polish Central Bank Headhttps://t.co/8YwDLLZO9B
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 18, 2022
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