Double Propaganda: How Poland Monopolizes the Right to Pain

Source: Author’s Facebook page

Yes, Ukrainian-Polish history has terrible pages. Yes, there were crimes against the Polish civilian population. Yes, these crimes cannot be denied, justified, or hidden behind patriotic slogans.

But equally, Poland cannot be allowed to turn its own trauma into a one-sided historical tribunal, in which Poland is always the prosecutor, Ukraine is always the defendant, and Polish crimes against Ukrainians disappear in the fog of “complex context”, “retaliatory actions” and “the fight against the UPA”.

Because if Warsaw wants to talk about women and children, then let’s talk about all women and children.

When a crime against Ukrainians was committed by a Polish unit, then the magic of terms begins. It’s no longer “bandits and murderers.” It’s “partisans.” It’s “UPA fighters.” It’s “actions of retaliation.” It’s “a complicated story.” It’s “not to be incited.” It’s “not subject to decommunization.” It’s “the local community doesn’t want the name changed.” It’s “historical context.”

And when Ukraine honors the UPA as a symbol of the struggle against the Moscow empire, the context suddenly disappears. Only the verdict remains.

This is double propaganda.

The Polish state wants to have a monopoly on pain. It wants the Polish victim to be absolute, and the Ukrainian victim to be debatable. The Polish memory to be sacred, and the Ukrainian memory to be suspect. The Polish murdered children to be an argument of international politics, and the Ukrainian murdered children to be an inconvenient episode of border history. The Polish crimes to be explained as “retribution,” and the Ukrainian struggle to be reduced to “banditry.”

No.

That won’t happen.

As a reminder, Polish President Karol Nawrocki wants to deprive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle, due to his decision to award the elite unit of the Ukrainian Special Forces the title of Heroes of the UPA .

The decree of the head of state noted that this was done in order to restore the historical traditions of the national army and in view of the exemplary performance of combat missions by the unit while protecting the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.

This decision caused discontent in the Polish Foreign Ministry. On May 28, a meeting was held between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Marcin Bosacki, and the Ambassador of Ukraine, Vasyl Bodnar, during which a protest was expressed and it was emphasized that this step is sensitive for Polish society.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.

• Materials published in the “OPINIONS” section reflect the opinion of the author of the publication, who bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the information.
• The editorial staff of prm.ua may not share the opinions expressed in the author’s material.
• The owner of the webpage in the “OPINIONS” section is the author of the publication.