...With Transcript
.
what's happening in Poland
on the one hand the country has mounted
a spectacular effort to welcome
Ukrainian War refugees if I have to once
again describe that I would say what's
the greatest moment in the history of
Poland
but at the same time there is an
authoritarian right-wing government
looking for scapegoats that could be the
leftist that could be the LGBT community
that could be anyone
what is it
it's green board
we're here to find out if this country
can find its way back to democracy and
the rule of law a portrait of Poland at
the crossroads
[Applause]
on the first weekend of June hundreds of
thousands of polls took to the streets
of Warsaw to express their opposition to
the right-wing government here that is
passing anti-abortion and anti-gay laws
that is fighting Europe over perceived
anti-democratic judicial and political
reforms
attending were opposition figures like
former president-elect valessa and the
present opposition leader Donald tusk
near myself
[Applause]
hovering in the background is the war in
neighboring Ukraine and with a national
election coming up the government might
be discovering that it's dealing with a
Poland that is very different from the
country it was in February 2022
in recent years the Polish government
seemed to be moving in a right-wing
authoritarian Direction More
anti-immigrants anti-europe Than came
Russia's February invasion of
neighboring Ukraine and everything
changed dramatically
when millions of Ukrainian War refugees
started pouring over the Border in 2022
Poland mounted a massive National effort
to welcome them now many of those
refugees are starting new lives here the
refugee effort was something that all
sides could support even in an extremely
polarized political atmosphere
Anna gramata is a sociologist at the
Polish Academy of Science such a high
number of Polish people had this
the refugees at their private homes
usually in a huge majority these were
total strangers like for example I
invited people whom I met five minutes
earlier on Facebook I don't tend to
invite strangers but on Facebook to come
live with me with an with it first the
first hour of uh uh of meeting them but
this was like extraordinary phenomenon
like everybody felt we want to do
something
at Poland's Foreign Affairs Ministry
lukash jazina is the designated
spokesman for the right-wing Law And
Justice government
I'm shocked by this myself because I am
Polish and I know very well ukrainians
and I'm a historian what means I'm not
an optimist in my life and I I wasn't
sure at the end of the February after
this moral decision moral imperative we
did
that it would work but it works
that remarkably generous attitude
towards Ukrainian refugees is in marked
contrast to Poland's record during the
last major European Refugee crisis in
2015.
Syrian War refugees trying to enter
Poland's government refused to accept
even the small share of refugees
requested by the European Union
former polish foreign minister radislav
Sikorski speaks for the liberal
opposition Civic platform
well first of all remember that the
ukrainians are 95 percent women and
children
so that clearly refugees from the war
whereas previous waves were mostly young
men and mixed political refugees and
economic migrants
and remember also that we were the same
country with Ukraine for 400 years so
there is a natural affinity and a
natural
Hospitality greater Hospitality towards
ukrainians
another issue the left and right-wing
polish parties agree on is the massive
National effort to support neighboring
Ukraine in its war with Russia
while the United States has provided
most of the weapons for the fight almost
all of that has transited through Poland
most through the well-fortified U.S
military base in Regional every bullet
from the United States ever played every
arm every Mauser everything we was sent
to Ukraine was sent to the Polish
territory which makes us a biggest enemy
of the Russia
in early May Poland was celebrating a
national holiday to Mark the 232nd
anniversary of the country's first
Democratic Constitution
downtown
a Krakow Town Square there was a concert
featuring old patriotic songs
the crowd struck up the old anti-fascist
anthem from Italy Bella
ciaoles were once again being called to
resist fascism this time in the form of
Russia's attack on neighboring Ukraine
thank you
Polish American journalist Adam
reichardt now works in Krakow
in the back of everyone's mind that
Poland could be next and that's why
everyone is supporting we need Ukraine
we need to help Ukraine defend itself
because if Ukraine does not defend
itself Poland definitely could be next
you might think all this means that
political polarization in Poland has
disappeared but that is not the case
a few years ago the right-wing Law And
Justice party still led by former prime
minister yaroslav Kaczynski decided to
take over the national public television
network TVP
the Network's reputation was similar to
BBC or CBC now it has become a ferocious
promoter of the right-wing politics of
the government and a hunter of
scapegoats
what could be the leftist that could be
the LGBT community that could be anyone
[Music]
after the daily Targets on TVP public
television are the leaders of the
liberal Civic platform opposition
including former prime minister Donald
Tusk here portrayed as a Lackey for
Germany Deutschland
foreign
and the former foreign minister ranuslav
Sikorski shown here as almost
hitler-like
oh I'm portrayed as a German and a
Russian at the same time and the leader
of the opposition is every day attacked
for being a traitor
um for for for being a German if you
believe you can believe it
government spokesman Lucas jazzina
doesn't deny what's happening on polish
TV it appears your government has turned
public television here into a propaganda
arm of the ruling party you know
um
to other big important informational
channels are completely against the
government we see public television
constantly portraying opposition leader
Donald for example as as pro-german or
even pro-russian let's say
polish information TV and channels are
victims of the severe political fights
which is destroying our society
since three years
in the national election approaching
next fall surveys are giving the
right-wing Law And Justice party and the
left-wing Civic platform about an equal
chance of forming the next government
right now Poland is being fined millions
of Euros per day by the EU because of
the government's perceived assault on
the independent Judiciary and other
anti-democratic moves
I personally think that another win for
the ruling party which has these
authoritarian uh Ambitions
would be a huge challenge for the
possibility of Poland returning to our
rule of law what's at stake it's um
whether opposition will Harbor any power
any any hope left what's at stake is
also Poland's place in the EU because
Poland has clearly
botched the chance to take the Britain
Britain's role in the EU post-brexit
even as they fight over political issues
both sides seem to agree that Poland's
character is being changed by the
massive influx of Ukrainian refugees it
is becoming more multinational more open
I think uh that you know in a few years
we will wake up in a Poland which
doesn't really reflect the same Poland
it did 10 years ago but these changes
are happening quite rapidly and also on
a level where people are not fully aware
if I have to once again describe that I
would say one of the most
one of the greatest moments in the
history of Poland
government spokesman Lucas jazzina says
Poland is now overcoming its resistance
to refugees from the Middle East Poland
is still one of the most
giving visas country for the syrians now
I think there was a lot of fears among
the polls about immigrants We Were Once
by a multicultural societies were
crushed during the second World War
I think and I'm now sure modern show I
was sure in February 2022
that now polish Society
is no doesn't feel fear about immigrants
anymore even those from Middle East
[Music]
after U.S President Joe Biden announced
that Ukraine would be allowed to have
American F-16 fighter jets
training of Ukrainian Pilots began in
Poland
with Poland now playing the greatest
role in training and delivering
equipment to Ukrainian forces the world
has a great stake in the future of this
country and its commitment to democracy
Terence McKenna CBC News Warsaw
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