Tusk warned the Polish Sejm against the rise of anti-Ukrainian sentiment
During a speech in the Sejm, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged caution regarding the rise of xenophobic and anti-Ukrainian sentiments in society. He emphasized that such trends could have negative consequences both for social unity and for people of Ukrainian origin living and working in Poland, particularly within government institutions.
During his speech in the Sejm, the head of the Polish government criticized statements made by right-wing politicians and certain Polish journalists regarding Andrzej Sheptytsky, the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education in the current Polish government, who is of partial Ukrainian descent.
During his speech, Tusk quoted the well-known Polish journalist Dorota Hawryliuk, who stated on Polsat News a few days ago: “I wonder how it is possible that a person of Ukrainian descent who represents Ukrainian interests is a deputy minister in the Polish government (Andrzej Sheptytsky – ed.).”
According to the prime minister, such statements are gradually creating a dangerous trend where people are judged not by their professional qualities and loyalty to the state, but by their nationality.
“From such isolated incidents, isolated insults, and media statements, a wave is beginning to form that not only demeans decent, honest, and patriotic Poles but also becomes dangerous to the very essence of Poland,” Tusk emphasized.
He warned that the search for people of “the wrong origin” could have dangerous consequences for Polish democracy and society. He also recalled that this kind of “hunt” for people based on nationality has always led to disasters, as evidenced by the history of the last 150 years, particularly World War II.
The Polish Prime Minister ironically noted that if criteria of origin were applied in Polish history, the merits of many prominent Polish figures could be called into question.
“As a historian, I cannot help but mention that Polish history has included such ‘suspicious’ figures as Copernicus, Chopin, Kosciuszko, as well as, to some extent, Piłsudski, Vladislav Jagiello, the entire Jagiellonian dynasty, and Sigismund III Vasa,” the head of the Polish government noted.
Tusk reminded the audience that King Sigismund III Vasa was Swedish, and King Stefan Batory did not speak Polish at all.
“Check them out, don’t waste a minute, find out if they had Polish roots,” the prime minister said ironically to his political opponents.
The head of government also recalled the solidarity that Poles demonstrated following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“There was a moment when, regardless of our origins but feeling ourselves to be citizens of Poland, we showed great solidarity that once again impressed the whole world. This happened when we helped Ukrainian families after Russia’s attack on Ukraine,” Tusk emphasized.
In his view, it is precisely this solidarity—and not the division of people by origin, race, or skin color—that is one of the foundations of the Polish state and its security, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
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