The removal of portraits of Witold Pilecki, Fr Maximilian Kolbe, and the large-format photograph of the Ulmów household from the Museum of planet War II in Gdańsk caused a political and historical scandal. Many politicians, not only from the PiS party, but besides from the PSL announced that they would search to reconstruct the exhibition in its first shape. Members of the Law and Justice declared that on Thursday they would submit a draft resolution of the Sejm requiring the government to intervene in this matter.
The head of the MON Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who late has not had the best days and quotations, besides reacted very hard:
Why do that? Were those images so disturbing? – Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish in a conversation with Polsat News.
At the same time, the minister announced, and even pledged, that the exhibition concerning Polish heroes would return to its place. But the point is that the manager and co-founder of the planet War II Museum Prof. Paweł Machcewicz completely ignored the position Władysław Kosiniak-Kamisha. On the short question whether the exhibits actually reappeared at the exhibition, he answered equally briefly and bluntly: “Of course not.” These statements don't usually come out of nowhere and since you're Professor. Paweł Machcewicz almost ridiculed the minister, which means that he has a higher power and it is not hard to know who he is.
The manager of the museum did not give a single rational argument that de facto advocates censorship of the exhibition. The full “argument” boils down to “that things be as they were” and somewhere akin opinions are expressed:
What is now happening in MIIWŚ is simply restoring the first form of the exhibition. And this form was prepared by historians regardless of any pressure. We did not consult with any politicians, and the works were attended not only by researchers employed in the museum, but besides by the most prominent experts of the Second War from Poland and abroad, specified as Timothy Snyder – a fragment of the interview of Prof. Paweł Machcewicz for “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
Paweł Machcewicz besides lamented that his concept of the exhibition was changed in 2017, influenced by the political decisions of minister Piotr Gliński, but immediately afterwards he began to prosecute politics himself and 1 which has small to do with history:
After all, any were explicitly announced by Jarosław Kaczyński and the Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński. The museum is simply restored to normality, from now on it will be an exhibition created by historians, not politicians. – said Machcewicz, asked about the genesis of changes to the exhibition, and then referred one more time to the position of Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz – (...) Mr. Minister enters the PiS shoes to compete with this organization for a conservative electorate. I don't think that's gonna work. On the contrary, for moving distant from fundamental democratic values, which include respecting the autonomy of culture and science, the PSL can pay dearly. After all, the adherence to these values had the effect of gaining the support of the majority of the population by political parties, which on October 15 removed from the power of the Law and Justice.
To all Pole who knows history, although he knows past briefly, specified characters as Witold Pilecki, Fr Maximilian Kolbe and the Ulm family, they clearly associate with a heroic attitude during planet War II. Although the communists in the times of the Polish People's Republic tried to erase the past of the captain Pilecki and the Ulm household in schools were not taught, Father Maximilian Kolbe even respected the Peerel version of the history.
Prof. Paweł Machcewicz can repeat 1000 times what an apolitical scientist he is, but the fact is that He's a politician who practices historical appletanery.. In his statements, it is rather clear that he will not honor the memory of the “written heroes”, and this is already a very dangerous level of fanaticism and pure stupidity.
We don't believe in anyone, we don't believe in anything! We look at facts and draw conclusions!
