Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Poland's Independence Day March. The Full Story ... Is Not Told Here. It Can't Be.

A couple of Polish men, living in Poland, posted on my Facebook page about the Independence Day March. One of them shared the previously linked article critical of the march. 

 These Polish men emphasized that there are unsavory elements in the march. 

 Me? I don't know the full story of the march. As I did last year, I post a variety of viewpoints. I caution against using the march to advance the Bieganski stereotype. I acknowledge that there are unsavory elements in Poland, that is, anti-Semites, and other thugs. You can see my posts on this topic from last year here. 

 What is the full story of the march? I don't know. I can't know. I'm not in Poland, and I am cautious of media reports on all sides, as is necessary when it comes to controversial stories that powerful individuals and entities use to advance their own agenda. 

 I invited these two Polish men to write their own accounts of the march, and submit them to me for publication here. If they comply, I will post their accounts. If they don't comply, we lose the chance to hear their point of view. 

 Below please find two photos from New York Times coverage. 

 One shows nationalist extremists. The other shows gay rights activists. The NYT said that this counter demo was much smaller. 

 In these two images, the NYT creates an image of Poland as a land overrun with fascists, where a handful of gay rights activists bravely struggle for existence. 

 We don't see, in this coverage, the hundreds of average, everyday people visible in the previously posted eleven-minute video. 

 That's why I say that those of us who are not in Poland, and who rely on mainstream media, or even YouTube videos for our accounts, can't know the full story of the march. 

 So. If you are in Poland, and you think we need to hear a more negative account of the march, please do send it to me. Thanks in advance. 
Adam Stepien source: NYT
Marcin Obara source: NYT
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3 comments:

  1. Gene SokolowskiNovember 13, 2018 at 7:25 PM

    It comes as no surprise that Bieganski is alive and well at the NYT.

    ReplyDelete
  2. From_PolandNovember 14, 2018 at 3:06 AM

    "a handful of gay rights activists bravely struggle for existence" ? LGBT have their rainbow marches, they don't struggle for existence. Recently they organised lessons in some schools without parents' consent. Liberal actor Joannna Szczepkowska struggles for existence because of her text Homo dzieciństwo" (Homochildhood)http://www.e-teatr.pl/pl/artykuly/158856.html The Independence day is about Independence. It's not about gay rights, ecology, hunger. Black flags belong probabaly to anarchists, some of whom may be aggresive. Regarding ''Black'', Dr Bawer Aondo-Akaa participates in the marches. A number of black people participated this year, some of them with Polish flags.

    Jerzy Pankiewicz

    ReplyDelete
  3. Łukasz KlimekNovember 15, 2018 at 4:42 AM

    Hello,

    Much has ben said about my country lately. Mostly bad things. Some articles in the Western press made my blood boil with anger.
    But I'm not gonna spit venom on non-Poles who also visit this blog. That would be rude, pointless and counterproductive.

    Instead, I would like to share a link to a film that explains the March of Independence from Polish perspective.

    Links are below.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxBLgYXIljs

    ReplyDelete

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