Some ignore antisemitism - others don't

Stanislaw Janecki, a journalist and editor of the weekly magazine Wprost was invited with journalist Jacek Zakowski to a TV program to discuss the implications of Jan Gross' book "Fear". According to Janecki, the problem of anti-semitism in Poland cannot be compared to the problem in places like Germany or the USA where people write anti-semitic graffiti on synagogues and graves, Janecki went on to explain that the problem really was that when Poles go abroad, they are "treated like anti-semites".

The discussion was at this point interrupted by a press conference.

Janecki's claims are rather commonly heard among the right in Poland. While one has to agree that such stereotypes about people are unfair and that people need to be treated individually without assumptions as to what people of their nationality "are like", such comments serve to derail serious discussion. Janecki, who somehow hasn't noticed that there is plenty of anti-semitic graffiti in Poland, apparently has chosen to keep his head in the sand.

Over the weekend, anarchists and antifascists from Bialystok made the national news by holding an antifascist march in that city. The antifascists were marching in response to increased antisemitic activity in the city of Bialystok. This has included the devastation of Jewish graves and a large quantity of antisemitic graffiti, even on the house museum of Ludwig Zamenhof. Racists have also defaced a Muslim center.

The increasing incidents in Bialystok have been discussed not only in the local, but in the national media.

Around Poland, young people have been taking action against such graffiti. A few months ago, teenagers in Lodz demonstrated against such graffiti and helped to cover it up. A group of high-school students from a town near Warsaw also organized themselves to clean anti-semitic graffiti in their town and to express their opposition to such acts. Such people see this graffiti and are trying to do something about it, instead of living in denial like some people. Hopefully their voices against racism and antisemitism will somebody become louder than those of right-wing journalists and intellectuals who try to defend the "good name of Polish people" through defensive dishonesty.

A few facts that might be interesting for Mr. Janecki:

- In March 2007, a Jewish cemetary in Swidwin was desecrated, It was the third time in the last 4 years.

- In April, a Jewish cemetary in Augustow was desecrated.

- In August, a Jewish cemetary in Czestochowa was desecrated. This was a very large at of vandalism, with over 100 gravestones spray painted with hate slogans and threats.

- In November a Jewish cemetary in Gdansk was desecrated for the 6th time in 2007.

- In November a Jewish cemetary in Suwalki was desecrated.

These are only SOME acts. These are ones that come first to my mind because they were written about in the mainstream media.

There is no sense in trying to find places on the earth with more antisemitic acts to try to claim that things are not so bad.

PS- After the Bialystok antifascist action, this website got inundated with nasty comments and threats, against the antifascists, but also general anti-semitic or racist threats. We don't publish them, but I would suggest people like Janecki take a look at the comments on the web pages of mainstream publications where discussion of Jan Gross' book has been flooded with some comments.

Web page of Bialystok antifascists:
http://antifawildeast.blogspot.com/