A delegation from the European Parliament recently visited Poland and was “alarmed” by the reaction of the Polish authorities to Barbara Engelking’s statement about blackmail in Poland. The delegates – especially the German women – complained that Minister Czarnek, when speaking about the countries’ shared history, was said to have spoken in an aggressive and rude manner. Professor KrasnodÄ™bski comments on the matter as follows: “knowledge of history is always necessary and useful.”