Monday’s speech by the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, at Westerplatte struck a nerve with the Germans. This is evident from the latest article published in the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The piece even accuses him of “exploiting history.”
“In order to build a partnership founded on truth and good relations, we must resolve the issue of reparations from the German state, which, as the President of Poland, I unequivocally demand for the common good,” President Karol Nawrocki emphasised on Monday at Westerplatte, on the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
The president’s words echoed widely, so much so that they reached Berlin and caused a stir in the local media. Sueddeutsche Zeitung did not spare criticism of the truth voiced by the Polish president.
The German daily attacks President Nawrocki
The article’s author, Viktoria Grossmann, discusses the president’s demand for war reparations from Germany. But that is not all. In her piece, she quoted Nawrocki’s remarks on reparations and then referred to statements made by Donald Tusk, who urged that one should “understand who is the enemy and who is the ally.”
The German journalist openly praises Tusk’s long-standing narrative, namely, that the matter of reparations is a closed topic.
“This does not mean that Tusk’s government would not welcome another German gesture of recognition in the form of further benefits for the surviving victims of Nazism. The government speaks above all of military cooperation, including support for Ukraine,” reads SZ.
And that is not all. In Grossmann’s text, there are also jabs aimed at President Karol Nawrocki. In her opinion, since the election campaign, “anti-German slogans have once again appeared in the public sphere.” The author again defends the leader of the December 13 coalition, writing that these slogans are directed against Polish politicians “who allegedly have ties that are too close with Berlin, such as Tusk.”
In a separate commentary, the German columnist claims that Law and Justice and President Nawrocki seek to discredit the government led by Tusk, “using every available means to do so.”
“Unlike the government, Nawrocki shows no interest in representing the other half of the electorate,” the German paper states.
And it thunders: “Nawrocki’s policy is directed against Ukrainian war refugees, against Germany, and against the EU.”