On Saturday we reported that the Polish mission in Italy did not honor the Polish soldiers resting at the war cemetery under Monte Cassino with even a wreath or a candle on Armed Forces Day. Today, the Ministry of National Defense posted a photo showing flowers laid at the cemetery. The Polish Embassy in Rome, headed by Ryszard Schnepf, remains silent.
Delegation at Monte Cassino
On Saturday, our website published an article by Tomasz Łysiak, with photos, showing how the Polish diplomatic mission in Italy treated August 15th — Armed Forces Day — at the Polish war cemetery at Monte Cassino.
“It is a pity that Ryszard Schnepf, head of the Polish Embassy in Rome, did not ensure that on Armed Forces Day — the most important day commemorating the glory and heroism of the Polish soldier — at the most important Polish war cemetery, under Monte Cassino, there appeared at least a bouquet of flowers or a single candle. Aside from Poles who visited the cemetery that day out of the impulse of the heart, no Polish state or diplomatic institutions in Italy laid a wreath or any sign of respect and remembrance there,” wrote Tomasz Łysiak.
The matter caused a stir online. The author of the article also spoke up, pointing out that he was at the cemetery on August 15th and 16th.
On Sunday, the Ministry of National Defense posted on social media a series of photos showing flowers being laid at memorial sites in Italy.
“Between August 14–17, in various places around the world, we jointly celebrate Armed Forces Day and pay tribute to our heroes,” the post read.
One of the photos shows flowers being laid at the cemetery under Monte Cassino. The delegation includes a woman and a soldier with the rank of Senior Warrant Officer.
This may suggest that the laying of flowers was a reaction to our article. In the photos taken by Tomasz Łysiak, the spot where the wreath was later placed looked like this:
However, no information about honoring memorial sites appears either on the website or on the social media accounts of the Polish Embassy in Rome. Also, the military rank of the officer visible in the photo published by the Ministry indicates that it was neither the defense attaché nor his deputy — both hold the rank of colonel.