Today is another anniversary of Germany’s attack on Poland.

On September 1 each year, let’s recall these events that every Polish family carries in its memory.

The war: first the onslaught of Germany, then Russia. The heroic struggle of the Polish defenders. The bestiality of the attackers. The creation of the Underground State with its army: The Home Army and the struggle against the occupiers, which did not cease throughout the war. And ultimately – the destruction of the state, which so little earlier Poles had rebuilt with the bloody efforts of generations of insurgents.

Usually on this day we remember our heroes, starting with the defenders of Westerplatte… There were many of them, and all of them deserve to be remembered and honored, which I’m sure there will be no shortage of this year. I, this time, would like to propose to look at those events from a slightly different angle.

Here is, before the attack took place, the armed act, the removal of German troops from barracks and then the attack on all borders, the Germans were preparing world public opinion for what would happen.

First, the reinforcement of negative opinions about Poland as a „seasonal state” whose existence is not justified and the search for allies against Poland had been going on for a long time. This began long before the war – back in the 1920s, when Germany waged a tariff war against Poland, and Walther Rathenau’s government in 1922 signed a cooperation treaty with Soviet Russia at Rapallo, the ultimate result of which was to strengthen the Soviets and raise the military preparedness of both countries. In Poland, the treaty was unequivocally perceived as turning against our country, while the German press described these concerns as „Polish hypersensitivity to its own point.” In fact, the Germans had never before 1939 recognized the legitimacy of the existence of the Polish state, and regarded the 1934 treaty with Poland as a temporary tactical maneuver to confuse the enemy. The German rearmament, which intensified after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, was directed not only against England and France as the victors in the world war, but also against Poland, since the fall of Greater Poland, parts of Pomerania and Silesia from Germany was unacceptable to both the German political elite and ordinary Germans, who enthusiastically supported Hitler.

It should be remembered that the military, economic, and population power of the German state, which grew in the 19th century, was a direct consequence of the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century when small Prussia increased its population by annexing Royal Prussia, Greater Poland, Kuyavia, and Northern Mazovia, with Poles constituting over half of the population of the Kingdom of Prussia. After the Napoleonic Wars, this proportion decreased as Mazovia was separated from Prussian rule. However, it can confidently be said that the imperial power of the German Empire was built in the 19th century on the blood and sweat of Polish peasants and the demographic potential of the annexed lands and their exploitation. Additionally, it is worth noting the natural resources of Polish Silesia, which had earlier been separated from Poland.

German imperialism had a dual nature. One aspect was directed outward, as Germany sought to participate in the colonial division of the globe. The other aspect was directed inward, against the Polish national element, with the most well-known expressions being the HaKaTa movement and the „Kulturkampf,” which aimed to uproot Poles from their properties and assimilate them, particularly through the suppression of the Catholic Church in Greater Poland and Pomerania, which was, after all, a stronghold of Polish identity.

External imperialism aimed at acquiring overseas territories, particularly in West Africa, where Germany organized genocidal exploitation of the indigenous population at the beginning of the 20th century (in what is now Namibia, then known as German East Africa). It was during this time that the German colonial administration brutally suppressed the uprising of the Herero people, leading to their decimation. The Governor of German East Africa was Heinrich Ernst Goering, the father of Hermann Goering, the Marshal of the Third Reich, Deputy to Hitler, and commander of the infamous Luftwaffe. The defeated Herero people were gathered in concentration camps, where they were subjected to starvation. It was also during this time that German doctors conducted „racial measurements” on captured and deceased Africans.

As we can see, the horrific events of World War II on Polish soil had their roots in earlier actions of the German state. The German Reich adhered to the principle of superiority, and it was easy to transition from the ideology of „white man’s superiority” or „superiority of German culture” and „spreading the torch of culture to the East” to Hitlerism with its exterminationist racism directed against Jews and Slavs. The character of Germany’s exploitation of Poland in September 1939 also had its precedents, both during the partition period and, most notably, during the three-year occupation of Polish territories during World War I after the expulsion of the Russians in 1915.

After World War I, Poland was almost devoid of industry, a significant part of its forests had been cut down, and there was widespread hunger due to requisitioning of food and seed grain, as well as cattle and horses. In 1918, Poland not only had to establish itself from scratch in terms of state administration but also rebuild an economy ravaged by occupation and the battles fought on its soil – first between the occupiers and later during the Bolshevik invasion. Although Germany did not engage in planned genocide during this period, the demographic losses were high, both due to the war activities and infectious diseases, particularly the Spanish flu pandemic in the later stages of the war and at the beginning of independence.

Through heroic efforts, the Poles rebuilt their country. They built an army, established an administration, and reconstructed and developed the economy. Poland rose from the ashes like a phoenix. In addition to rebuilding the cities and villages destroyed during World War I and the Bolshevik invasion, the Polish state deliberately developed its economic potential to become independent from the economies of former occupying powers, primarily Germany. Russia no longer had influence over Poland (except for acts of sabotage on the eastern borders), and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had collapsed.

Since the beginning of Poland’s existence after 1918, Germany pursued a hostile policy towards its new neighbor. Firstly, Germany did not recognize the loss of territories that had belonged to the German Empire before World War I. The guarantee of Poland’s western borders in the Treaty of Versailles was seen as a „Versailles dictate,” and German politicians who signed the agreement were considered traitors. Secondly, Polish access to the sea was initially illusory during the early years of the Second Polish Republic because the small stretch of coastline that Poland obtained did not have a full-fledged seaport. Poland was forced to rely on Gdańsk, which was granted the status of a „Free City” with its own authorities under the supervision of the League of Nations established after the war.

German-controlled Gdańsk, whenever possible, obstructed Poland’s access to the port, and the German state conducted a customs war against Poland. Therefore, the Polish government and Sejm (parliament) made the decision in 1922 to build a new port in the village of Gdynia, and within a few years, the port was established along with the city. It quickly became the largest port on the Baltic Sea, surpassing Gdańsk and German ports. At the same time, other infrastructure investments were being made in Poland, such as the coal railway mainline from Silesia to Gdynia and the Central Industrial District.

It should be remembered that „large infrastructure projects” not only drive the industry associated with them but also provide a general developmental impetus to the entire country – and that was the case with Gdynia. Interestingly, the arguments put forward by opponents of building the port in Gdynia at that time were almost identical to those voiced by today’s opponents of contemporary large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the Central Communication Port, along with massive investments in the development of the railway and highway networks in Poland. The argument of „why spend money on a port when there is one in Gdańsk” also emerged. Other arguments were frequently used, such as „Poles are incapable of building it” and „they will surely embezzle all the funds.” Therefore, when looking at the course of events, one must ask, „cui bono?” – in whose interest did such arguments appear then and now?

The Poles rebuilt their state, and by 1939, they were well on their way to becoming not only a significant regional military player (in 1938, the budget of the Ministry of Military Affairs accounted for 40% of the state budget) but also an economic power.

Our western neighbor, ruled by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party since 1933, after initial economic successes – the most important of which was the elimination of unemployment through an extensive program of public works and armaments – reached the limits of its development potential. This was due to the forced economic self-sufficiency imposed by Western sanctions and the threat of an economic crisis resulting from the printing of money for public works projects and, equally importantly, a massive armament program that directly stemmed from the ideology of the NSDAP. Hitler wanted and needed a rebuilt army on his side, and he achieved this through armament and the expansion of the Wehrmacht. This violated the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed restrictions on Germany in this regard. The lack of response from England and France emboldened Hitler and, at the same time, allowed for the full-scale mobilization of the arms industry (to the satisfaction of German industrial circles), which ultimately began to drain the state treasury. Therefore, for Hitler, the war – apart from realizing his ideological plans – was a way to avoid an economic collapse. Due to the economic situation, Germany initiated the war in 1939, even though initially they had planned military actions for the years 1942-1945, after the full implementation of their armament plans.

The war was necessary to redirect the attention of society away from daily life in the face of a possible economic crisis, but also – if not primarily – to plunder Poland in order to maintain the level of consumption and exploit Polish human and industrial resources for the economic development of Germany. Forced labor in the German industry, the plundering of natural resources, financial assets, the expansion of the tax base in the occupied territories, the looting of savings deposits, economic exploitation, inflationary taxes, looting of property belonging to Holocaust victims and the Polish population (the movable property of the victims was transported to Germany and distributed among the German population) – all of these were the benefits that Germany derived from the war against Poland.

According to the initial German plans, the war in the first stage was supposed to be limited solely to the territory of Poland and not extend beyond its borders. Germany assumed that they would launch an offensive against France, England, and the rest of Europe only after strengthening their economy with Polish resources and taking advantage (in cooperation with Russia) of cheap Soviet resources – namely, oil from two sources: the occupied Polish oil fields in Borysław and from the Caspian Sea, as well as grain and metal ores.

As we can see, the analogies with the present are striking. Polish armed resistance and the alliance formed with England and France thwarted this plan, turning the war into a global conflict that ended in Germany’s defeat and ruin. However, after a partial denazification process, which was practically carried out only between 1945 and 1949 in the American and British occupation sectors, defeated Germany quickly recovered from the ruins after the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany in the western sectors.

As indicated by German researcher Götz Aly in the book „Hitler’s State,” this rapid reconstruction and post-war „economic miracle” in Germany was not only due to American assistance through the Marshall Plan and Ludwig Erhard’s economic plan of 1948 (prior to the establishment of the FRG), which involved price liberalization, tax reform, and the introduction of the new German mark. An essential factor in the economic recovery of Germany was the goods and economic resources plundered by Germany in Poland and other occupied countries. According to Aly Götz, Germany continues to benefit from this to this day. It is important to note that the majority of German citizens, both during the German Reich and later the Federal Republic of Germany, retained their property, including movable and immovable assets. The Allies did not plunder the civilian population, and apart from a few exceptions, they did not carry out mass expropriations. The German industry was rebuilt using machines, equipment, and patents plundered from Poland and Czechoslovakia. For example, at the beginning of the war, Germany’s superiority in armored warfare was due to the acquisition of Czech military technology after the annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 since German designs were insufficient. As a result, the post-World War II rebuilt Germany not only benefited from the plundered resources but continues to maintain its economic advantage over Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries to this day. This is a result of the plunder during the war. Furthermore, due to the destruction of the economies of Central and Eastern European countries during World War II and their subsequent communist occupation and the associated lagging behind, Poland and other countries in the region are still striving to catch up with Western economies. This is associated with higher transaction costs compared to other regions and the necessity of paying higher fees for accessing technology. Moreover, immediately after 1989, these countries were unable to meet the consumption needs of their societies independently, so their markets opened up to Germany. Germany took advantage of this accessibility and the vulnerable position of these countries to manipulate their economies meticulously, further enhancing its economic power. Since Germany triggered World War II and all its consequences, the developmental delay in Poland (which is now being actively addressed) is also a result of German aggression in 1939 and the subsequent exploitation of the Polish economy. As a result of World War II, Poland lost nearly 40% of its national assets.

A significant factor that continues to burden Poland to this day, and a direct consequence of German occupation and exploitation from 1939 to 1945, is the significant loss of population. Poland lost nearly 20% of its population, which is the highest percentage of casualties relative to the population among all countries involved in World War II. Interestingly, Russian „historiography” includes the population losses resulting from Stalinist genocide in the „20 million victims of World War II in the USSR” to conceal its scale.

According to the latest calculations, Poland lost nearly 6 million citizens. Estimates suggest that, considering normal generational replacement, if not for this loss, Poland would have a population of about 70 million today. The number of people living in a country represents not only a larger productive potential and workforce but also a greater intellectual potential and greater developmental opportunities for the country. In the context of today’s globalized world, it also means greater possibilities for economic, military, and cultural influence. If it weren’t for the war triggered by Germany, Poland would be the second or third most populous country in Europe.

Reparations for Poland from Germany, in terms of compensation for the losses inflicted by Germany, unquestionably deserve to be addressed. Germany claims that „Poland renounced reparations,” but there is no legally binding document submitted to the UN confirming this. Germany has signed agreements on compensation with many countries, yet they consistently avoid doing so with Poland, their greatest victim. Another argument often used by German ambassadors is the statement that „the harm inflicted on Poland by Germany is so great that nothing can compensate for it.” Yes, a significant portion of the losses is incalculable, but there are also quantifiable losses. Scientifically accepted algorithms exist for calculating them. Germany simply knows that Poland’s demand for reparations would once again highlight German responsibility for the crimes and atrocities committed against the Polish people in the international media spotlight. Atrocities and crimes that have almost been attributed solely to the mythical „Nazis,” while presenting the Germans themselves as victims of these „Nazis” – a narrative that figures such as Ms. Merkel, a staunch ally of another genocidal leader in history, Putin, have perpetuated.

Today, on September 1, 2022, on another anniversary of the Nazi invasion, the Polish State presents a report by a commission calculating the losses inflicted on Poland by Germany during World War II. I am aware that this report is shocking. The accumulation of facts in three volumes is truly staggering.

The RDI organization has been preparing for this moment. On the interactive map at warstwypamieci.pl, we have published a visualization of the places of crimes committed against Poles during World War II. We have marked nearly 20,000 locations of crimes committed by Germans and Russians. Of course, these are not all the places where such acts occurred, and we are working on expanding the map. We also welcome submissions of such locations, which may be known only locally.

We kindly ask you, our Supporters and Donors, to widely promote our map, as it is a significant complement to the report published today – not an official state publication, but one created by grassroots efforts with the support of the Patriot Fund, showing the scale of German crimes against Poland.

The second element of the preparations for the announcement of the War Losses Report is a project that Reduta has been working on for over a year. In August, we secured funding for it from the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the „Science for Society” program. We will analyze and calculate the losses suffered by the population of Zamojszczyzna during World War II. We will also examine the possibilities of pursuing legal action against the German state to obtain compensation for individuals and families who lost their assets as a result of German actions. It is important to distinguish between reparations from Germany to the Polish state and compensation for individual persons. We will strive to develop a path – based initially on scientific research and later in practice – to obtain compensation from Germany for the affected Polish individuals and families.

The historic day of holding Germany accountable has finally arrived. There are political forces in Poland that consider this madness because they believe „Poland is too small, we are not entitled to it, we are too weak.”

This micro-mania is supported by Germany and Russia because whenever Poles think of themselves in such minimalist terms, neighboring powers can manipulate this piece of the world in which we live according to their own wishes. Just as it was with Gdynia – regardless of whether Germany and Russia like it or not – Poles will achieve their goals, overcoming all obstacles.

Because for Poles, nothing is impossible. As I wrote to you before, modern Poland is 20 times richer than Poland in 1939, which had to face Nazi Germany. We have an incomparably greater potential and capabilities than our ancestors. Let us be aware of our own strength. Without underestimating the threats and the difficult neighborhood in which we find ourselves.

Maciej Świrski

Ash conditions, a good example of this is the paradigm (which was perpetuated in the early days of the pandemic) about the „catastrophically low number of COVID-19 tests carried out in Poland,” and the consequent failure of the Polish government to combat the pandemic. Another example is the information spread in the spring of 2020 about the „deadly” impact of mail-in elections on citizens’ health. The saturation of this disinformation was so high that, as a consequence, it was decided to abandon this form of voting, as it began to shift into a paradigm state, which could end in some kind of mass psychosis in society. Had it not been for the intervention of the PAP during Operation Mercury, the belief that the biological death of the Oder River and the entire river basin was „due to government negligence” would also have become such a paradigm (when we know that the causes of fish die-offs are natural golden algae blooms). The social effects of operations like „Mercury” can be psychologically lethal – panic, psychosis, depression, fear of being in the open, etc., not to mention „ordinary” public concern and creating an atmosphere of government inaction, which the total opposition has not failed to take advantage of.

The above-presented process of spreading disinformation using „fake news” is, by nature, a general model. It cannot be said that all false information appearing on the Polish Internet originates from Russia and is the result of active measures (активные мероприятия), as that is certainly not the case. Some fake news cannot be treated as completely untrue information but rather as inaccurate, manipulated (even unintentionally), unverified, etc. However, after February 24, 2022, we have observed an explosive increase in the number of false information and hate speech, which upon analysis, points to Russian origins. This trend manifests in three directions: fueling distrust towards the government regarding aid to Ukraine (which can be seen as a continuation of destabilization efforts during the pandemic, with Twitter and Facebook accounts that participated in these actions shifting focus towards so-called „concern for realism regarding Ukraine”), sowing discord between Poles and Ukrainians, and fostering the belief that „NATO won’t help us if something happens.” The latter direction aims to weaken the defensive readiness and overall willingness to defend among Poles. Attempts to create discord between Poles and Ukrainians have a more far-reaching goal (besides causing a certain type of crisis in Poland, social unrest, and thereby overthrowing the government of the independence camp) – namely, in the event of Russia’s defeat, Poles and Ukrainians could jointly create a political-economic-military arrangement (I’m not referring to any kind of „union”) that would have technological competencies in the fields of space technology, nuclear energy, rare earth applications, biotechnology, machinery construction, and vast potential in terms of natural resources and agriculture. Such a political alliance would become a crystallization center for a new order in Central and Eastern Europe. It would serve as a counterbalance to the German-dominated European Union, which has not met the expectations of the nations of Central-Eastern Europe. Simultaneously, it would be a partner for the United States, which Germany seeks to push out of Europe with the help of France and Russia. After the inevitable collapse of Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus, such an entity would have a potential population of over 100 million. Both Germany and Russia are well aware of this, which is why the Russians have initiated active measures, while Germany is using every means possible to overthrow the government of the independence camp. This is because if that happens, this vision will be further away, and the coalition supporting Ukraine may collapse, which in turn would threaten NATO’s eastern flank and weaken the positions and security of the United States in Europe. This book does not provide space for extensive deliberations on this topic; I have only touched upon it due to the active measures initiated by our adversaries.

Virtually all Polish politicians journalists and celebrities are active users of Twitter and Facebook. Intoxication operations can (and do) affect them, and by extension the rest of society, because they are relays and further inoculate their audiences. This has all sorts of consequences – from completely misguided decisions by citizens and politicians based on inaccurate or false information to all sorts of humorous situations, called „scalping” in the language of the Internet, when someone impersonating the identity of some well-known and, for example, not very smart person writes a twit that is completely absurd, but deceptively similar to her way of thinking. (Here we are thinking of Twitter’s Beaver Man). However, it should be emphasized that the most dangerous aspect of the Active Measures operation present on social media is to stir up social unrest in Poland at a time of pandemonium and war in Ukraine, undercutting trust in the authorities and thus destabilizing the state.

As always in the history of Poland, in such situations, one should ask the question: cui bono? Who benefits from this? The answer to this question after February 24, 2022, is simple, especially when looking at Germany’s stance – unwilling or even hostile towards helping Ukraine. Then all the pieces of this puzzle fall into place, and we have a complete picture.

Maciej Świrski

[1] See Jolanta Darczewska, Piotr Żochowski, Active Measures, Russian Exported Goods, in: Punkt Widzenia No. 64, Center for Eastern Studies, Warsaw 2017.

[2] Ibid, p. 8.

[3] In the publications of the Polish League Against Defamation, we consistently use the name „Związek Socjalistycznych Republik Sowieckich” (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and the abbreviation ZSRS as the correct and firmly anchored name in the Polish language, which was replaced during the Polish People’s Republic period by the term „radziecki” (Soviet), which is a typical „semantic theft” of an old Polish word derived from „rada” (council) – municipal council. The communists intended to replace the negatively connotated word „sowiecki” with this term. This operation can also be classified as an active measure.

[4] Deception – in old Polish language, this word meant „fraud”. Nowadays, it is a term used in the military and national security domain, referring to activities aimed at misleading the enemy, influencing their decision-making and actions in line with the adversary conducting deception operations. See: Glossary of Intelligence Terms, Central Intelligence Agency, 1978. Approved for Release 2000/09/29, p. 4.

[5] My conversation with NN, the last living member of IAAMWG, Washington, September 25, 2018.

[6] See: Active Measures: A report on the Substance and Process of Anti-U.S. Disinformation and Propaganda Campaigns, US Department of State Publication 9630, Released August 1986.

[7] See, for example, Steve Abrams: Beyond Propaganda: Soviet Active Measures in Putin’s Russia, in: Connections, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Winter 2016), pp. 5-31, Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes. „(…) it becomes clear that active measures from the Soviet era are alive and well in Putin’s Russia. Thanks to technology and adaptation to the globalized world, their contemporary incarnations are much more sinister, with significantly greater reach and speed – and through the internet, they can influence public opinion on an unprecedented scale” – p. 8.

[8] C. Watts, „Extremist Content and Russian Disinformation Online: Working with Tech to Find Solutions,” Statement prepared for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, October 31, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/10-31-17%20Watts%20Testimony.pdf.

[9] Ibid.

[10] By the term „intoxication” or „toxic,” I understand information that, in the process of Active Measures operations, is presented to individuals on social media platforms to be further spread. „Intoxication,” in this context, refers to the process, while „toxicity” refers to the content of information that is to be disseminated and intoxicate information bubbles, thereby influencing social reality. If the „toxin” is hate towards a particular person, intoxication is the spreading of that hate into the informational sphere in which the person operates.

[11] Software of this kind has been developed and perfected for many years in various countries. The leading nations in this regard are Israel and the United States, along with one of the smaller European countries. This knowledge is based on expertise.

[12] The unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, stemming from the conflict between left-wing and right-wing activists.

On the 78th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, we once again honor – the Warsaw Insurgents, knowing that the Uprising is the foundation of today’s Polish patriotism, which is now so necessary for Poland to survive at all as an independent state in the current geopolitical conditions. After the end of World War II, those who survived the battle for Warsaw testified that the Uprising was inevitable, because 58 months of horrific German occupation – terror, pacification, round-ups, public executions, persecution, concentration camps, death of the most innocent, torture, humiliation – demanded retribution.

So what was to be done? Sit quietly, like the Czechs, throughout the war? That was simply impossible.

The outbreak of the uprising was becoming inevitable because at the end of July 1944, crowds of Germans could be seen on the streets of Warsaw, almost inertly fleeing from the Russians, who were rapidly approaching the Vistula line. According to the account of a witness of those days – Jozef Mackiewicz, who wrote after the uprising that the uprising was inevitable and justified both from a psychological, political and military point of view.

This armed effort, the sacrifices and blood sacrifice of the entire city, the fierceness and perseverance in the fight were due not only to the personal qualities of that generation raised in the Independent Republic, but also to the conviction that they were fighting „for everything”, that this was the only chance. Love of the Fatherland and honor were not empty words. The brotherhood of arms in battle further strengthened the determination.

We are probably all well aware of what the Germans did to us. For decades after World War II, German crimes could be talked about freely – and were talked about. What the Russians did (during the war and afterwards) was not allowed to be talked about. An entire generation grew up with such a deformed memory. After 1989, the restoration of memory began.

I encourage you to listen to the podcast.

Maciej Świrski

Why are Poles helping Ukraine?

Why have they taken in more than two million Ukrainian women with children in three weeks, whose husbands and fathers are fighting the Russian invaders?

Why is it such a mass exodus, and why is it such mass aid? The answer to these questions lies in the history of both Poland and Ukraine and all of central Europe.

Well, both Poles and Ukrainians have in their genetic memory what „liberation by the Russian Red Army” looks like.

And that’s why Ukrainian women immediately decided to flee, and Poles immediately decided to take them in.

Because all the time we vividly remember the mass rape of hundreds of thousands of women during the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe by the Russians in 1944 – 1945.

These experiences which every Polish family has, dictated the massive relief movement here. Let me quote a story my mother – a professor and the first female conductor in Europe – told me.

In February 1945, Russian troops were approaching Poznan, a Polish city turned into a fortress by the Germans. My mother was nine years old at the time. After many days of siege when civilians were hiding in basements and shelters, Russian shelling was affecting everyone, it appeared that the Germans were retreating. That’s when my mother’s guardian, because her father was no longer alive, ordered my mother to hide in the hearth of the stove for boiling water in the basement laundry room. She was thin enough to fit in there, and this saved her. After the Russians entered the city and discovered that Polish women and girls were hiding in the basement – they were all raped and later killed. My mother’s friends who were hiding in that basement were all killed.

This is the source of the unconditional help that Poles give to Ukraine. We all remember Russian bestialities, and now we hear about the same events in Mariupol and Kherson and other places in Ukraine…

In the latest podcast – Week 3 of the war, I raised the issue of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, taking into account a number of elements that determined that the supposedly large army (as we already know, the Russian army has its size only on paper) of V. Putin broke into the territory of an independent and sovereign state. Putin’s strategy – a blitzkrieg – failed, it was not possible to occupy the territories of Ukraine, including Kiev, so coveted by the Russians, within a few days, appoint a puppet government and thus incorporate Ukraine into the Russian empire.

The defenders of Ukraine are putting up heroic and effective resistance to Russian pursuits. The actions of Ukrainians are destroying the inept Russian army, stopping its total expansion. In this situation, Putin’s powerlessness has led to the launching of a machine of Russian crimes, targeting the defenseless – women, children, the elderly, in a word, civilians. Widespread Russian terror has caused millions of Ukrainians (women, children, seniors) to flee the war. Poland, as the largest country bordering Ukraine, has taken in nearly 2 million war refugees, providing them with security, care and decent living conditions. The Polish people, opened their hearts and the doors of their own homes to selflessly bring aid to those in need. The great mobilization of Poles showed the true face of our society, we know that we have always been like this. Unfortunately, through decades of slander, disinformation campaigns carried out by anti-Polish circles, a false message about Poland was constructed, only in the face of such a huge drama did the world see the true face of the Poles.

I invite you to listen to the podcast, which contains much more information on such issues as Poland’s security, the strategy undertaken by V. Putin to attack Ukraine, and Poland’s diplomatic efforts to support the embattled Ukraine.

Maciej Świrski

I poked around a bit in the resources and Russian-language Internet, because I could not understand what prompted Monsieur Poutine to take such a desperate action – after all, he only harmed himself, his fellow oligarchs and Russia. What is the point.

Many are asking themselves: what was Putin up to? After all, the ultimate balance of his action with the recognition of the „people’s republics” and the introduction of troops into the area, which is, after all, within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, is negative. Not to mention a full-scale attack, with cruise missiles, tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, specnaz, etc., bombing residential areas.

All this means that Russia’s main argument in communicating with the world – that is, the (official rather than real) „pursuit of peace,” „adherence to international agreements,” „international dialogue,” etc. – goes into the trash. Also going into the trash is the entire Russian softpower, which Russia has built up over the years with billions of dollars, portraying Russia as a civilized country, which admittedly has its faults, but which no longer has much in common with the Asian savagery of the Soviet Union. This has been particularly successful in Germany, not least because Germans have murdered themselves Russians and find it difficult to call by name what the neo-Soviet Union is doing. And of course, the magnetic power of the petrorubli, which corrupted both German and other European politicians….

Keep listening…

In his latest podcast, he refers to the situation related to the hybrid attack targeting Poland by the Belarusian and Russian regimes, the consequences of which we see every day directly on the Polish-Belarusian border, but also in the media.

We must remember that some of the main elements of hybrid warfare are disinformation actions, or fake news. In the foreign media space, but also in some Polish media, we register a huge number of messages that are a chain of disinformation actions narrated by Belarus and Russia. These messages, although untrue for many, are a source of information. It is worth noting that social media lead the way in exposing untrue information often drenched in emotional messages, which are intended to evoke in the recipients the consequences and actions specified by the narrators (in this case, Belarus and Russia). Unfortunately, it turns out that in many cases the Belarusian regime’s strategy works, and it works on non-political audiences, as well as on politicians themselves representing opposition circles.

For the sake of our country’s security, the essence of preventing the spread of false information is to stop duplicating content found, somewhere on social media, heard in foreign countries, or read on some website. Especially important here is the role of television, which should publish only verified and reliable coverage of the situation taking place on Poland’s eastern border.

I encourage you to listen to the podcast.

Maciej Świrski

In the latest podcast, a topic related to Russian media publications that dealt with the issue of Poland’s purchase of US Abrams tanks was addressed.

A review of the Russian media in terms of publications related to the purchase of Abrams tanks was included in the latest report by the Polish League Against Defamation- 'Migration crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border. Abrams for Poland – Russian media reactions. Analysis of the disinformation and military context”.

In this podcast, I present an analysis that focuses on selected examples of Russian publications ranging from professional articles prepared by industry experts to Kremlin propaganda tubes suggesting aggressive intentions of the Polish army.

One of the most factually valuable articles discussing Poland’s purchase of Abrams was published on the BMPD blog – the unofficial website of an important Russian think-tank, the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST). One will not find ideological or political digressions in the text, there is only reliable information on military, defence, conflicts, the Russian and global arms industry, etc.

In the analysed publications, of course, we find decisively anti-Polish content, as exemplified by an article published on one of the Kremlin’s propaganda media platforms, RuBaltic.ru. Already in the title of the article we have the main thesis that the purchase of Abrams tanks is anti-Russian, what is more, it is linked to the northern gas pipeline: „Poland has threatened Russia with tanks for Nord Stream 2”.

Another aspect of the Russian Federation’s actions discussed is President Vladimir Putin’s decree to set up a special historical commission, de facto another forceful body whose task will be, among other things, to prosecute entities and individuals critical/negative of Russian history.

The analysis presented in the material was made at the end of October 2021.

I warmly encourage you to listen to the podcast.

Maciej Świrski

The new Raport RDI  https://rdiplad.org/kryzys-migracyjny

In this podcast, I address the question of what factors contributed to the fact that only about 2% of the German perpetrators were punished for their crimes, and I also outline the political and social background that contributed to their escape from responsibility. I recall the profiles of those who actively participated in the German plan for the conquest of Europe. And these are not major figures, universally known. We must remember that the German plans for the subjugation of the world were carried out by ordinary German officials from the administration organised by Germany in the occupied territories.

I am talking about criminals who did not hold the highest offices in the Third Reich, the effect of their activity in the German administration was the genocide of Jews and Slavs, persecution and plunder. It was the German civil administration that organised the Holocaust, organised the murder of the Polish population, the Jewish population, the deportation to extermination camps, or the economic exploitation.

The list of unpunished German criminals is thousands of names, in our podcasts we will present a dozen or more of them.

Through the podcasts, we will recall the history of German criminals, we will talk about them by mentioning their names. It is important that the historical truth reaches as wide an audience as possible. Of course, we will not hold the perpetrators legally accountable for their crimes, but we will have knowledge about them, which will make them almost anonymous. In this way we counter the narrative of some nameless Nazis. These Nazis were German citizens, faithful to Adolf Hitler’s ideology, obediently and precisely implementing his plan of extermination.

I heartily encourage you to listen to the podcast.

Maciej Świrski

After a long break, the RDI podcast is back! Maciej Świrski talks to Jan Śliwa about the text he wrote, ” Jews about themselves”. Together they discuss who benefits from the introduction of hostility between Jews and Poles, why some things can be said about other nations but not about Jews, and why Poland is, contrary to the opinion circulating the world, the safest country for Jews. We invite you to listen!

THE END OF THE III REPUBLIC IMMINENT?

Public opinion was electrified by the detention of a well-known lawyer and ex-prime minister, which coincided with the prolongation of the arrest of the former head of Donald Tusk’s political cabinet. These extraordinary events gave rise to FWO commentators to reflect on the progressive erosion of the Third Republic and attempt to predict the future. This immediate one will undoubtedly be influenced by the court, which will decide on the possible arrest of Roman Giertych and others, including a well-known businessman – the pioneer of Poland’s computerisation after 1989.

However, for Maciej Świrski, the most important issue is still the expansion of the Polish Army, as only a strong army is a guarantor of Poland’s independence. Unfortunately, there is still criticism of the allocation of increasing financial resources to defence. Chief Tasunke Witko, a retired officer, quoted Napoleon’s words: „A nation that refuses to feed its army will feed someone else’s”. It was also recalled that a weak army in the 18th century was one of the reasons for the fall of the Republic.

Equally important in the work of rebuilding the state is an efficient and modern school, which publicists remember not only on the occasion of the traditional Teachers’ Day. Unfortunately, there is still much to be done in this field as well. According to Maciej Świrski, we are still unable to use the best models for educating young generations and are stuck in a rigid corset of solutions dating back to the times of the National Education Commission. Meanwhile, it is time for a change and teaching through experience. Only this way, especially in such uncertain times, is worth recommending and implementing rapidly.

As a motto for this broadcast, let us use the words that a lecturer addressed years ago to the students of a military school – future officers and commanders: Just don’t let people foolishly die out! This is still very relevant today…

Polish League Against Defamation  against the hectoring of residents of a supposed 'LGBT-free zone’ and economic discrimination

HOSTILE ATTACKS BY A „PLACARD MAKER”

A man drives around Poland and hangs up lying placards claiming that a particular municipality, e.g. Zakrzówek in the Lublin region, is an LGBT-free zone. He claims it is a happening (that is how he presents it to Poles, but it is really a precise operation) and ostensibly to draw attention to the plight of LGBT people, but for the local authorities and residents who are really stigmatised in this way, it heralds a wave of disgusting and blameless heckling and the prospect of losing more than just EU funding. And on a national scale, it is another powerful blow to the sensitive sphere of national security. You will find out how this is possible by listening to the next episode of FWO.

For Maciej Świrski, whose RDI has stood firmly behind the defamed municipality and its inhabitants, the matter is obvious and has a very dangerous context for the whole of Poland. For the „tabloid” – the commentators do not want to promote his data – it is apparently just such a form of message and a happening. This one cleverly acts: he made a plaque, along the lines of those commonly used, with the message: „LGBT-free zone” and translations. He deliberately chooses municipalities that have adopted declarations on the promotion of the family and there he screws this almost „road sign” under a real plaque with the name of the locality. He takes a photo and records the information and then uses social media to send it out into the world.

As a result, the manipulated West, accustomed to Polish politically incorrect incidents, seeing the „official” LGBT- FREE ZONE sign, protests and threatens Poland with, among other things, the withdrawal of money. Add to this the similarity and association of this sign with the German „Judenfrei”, i.e. an area cleansed of Jews, which, in the context of accusations of Polish anti-Semitism, is very dangerous.  According to Maciej Świrski, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Because the lying narrative created by „Tabliczkowiec” reproduced in those communities may become ubiquitous, dominant and, as a result, may create a stereotype of intolerant, dark and even repulsive Poles, whom in the event of a real war threat – the famous Article 5 of the NATO Treaty – it is simply not worth helping.

Therefore, the reaction of the Polish state in the diplomatic and propaganda sphere should be unequivocal. The disgracefully vilified local authorities and inhabitants should also be helped. Who will want to come to such a locality or set up a factory there? How are people supposed to live with such a stigma?

The first to extend a helping hand to Zakrzówek was the Polish League Against Defamation, helping financially and legally in a lawsuit against the liar. It is likely that other local authorities that have also fallen victim to the 'Slatterer’ will also benefit from RDI’s know-how. The action of this activist is part of a broader context, i.e. the portrayal of Poles as discriminating, segregating and excluding a certain group. According to M. Świrski, this is intended to fit into the historical context in which Poland is currently ascribed the responsibility for the Holocaust and the murder of Jews during World War II. It is designed to reinforce the view that Poles used to discriminate and kill Jews, and today they discriminate and exclude people of a different sexual orientation.

We encourage you to listen to the broadcast and kindly ask you to support financially the activities of the Polish League Against Defamation, which functions thanks to its Friends and Supporters.

A given pipe is good for nothing Mr. Foreman, that is.

JUST BEFORE THE COLONISATION OF SPACE

„Hello, hello this is the moon base of the Polish League Against Defamation! We welcome our Listeners at home and abroad from space”. If the predictions of Maciej Swirski are to be believed, we will be able to take part in a great space colonisation campaign while we are still alive. The famous Elon Musk is already experimenting with a new methane rocket engine and who knows if he won’t be standing in front of us in a moment with cheap tickets to the moon. First, however, we will have to face the mundane of life, i.e. our national vices: the sloppiness, the laziness, the years of neglect, the lack of risk management that keep us low with our noses to the ground. It is indeed also the last bell to deal with the cosmic stench, i.e. another Czajka-Trzaskowski failure, media disorder, LGBT ideology and failed courts.

This time, Maciej Świrski and Chief Thasunke Witko started the broadcast in Warsaw – and where they ended up will be discussed in a moment – leaving no stone unturned in accusing the RT president and his team of utter degeneracy, infantilism, irresponsibility and sheer hubris. For, according to the publicists, these are the causes of yet another sewage failure, which, again, the Warsaw authorities are unable to rectify on their own. Rightly, FWO commentators are trembling over the state of the so-called critical infrastructure and its security. After all, failures and their consequences in the capital affect more than just Varsovians… This unbelievable, even cosmic „carelessness” of Trzaskowski gives him a prominent place among other PO mayors and presidents who form a common anti-government front – the „rebellion of local government officials”.

The media still play a leading role in this rebellion. Instead of describing reality, they create it by, among other things, manipulating facts and failing to uphold the integrity of journalism. Moreover, they are omnipotent and unpunished, because the post-communist Press Law gives them a crushing advantage over ordinary people and institutions defending, for example, the truth about Polish history. The institution of rectification is practically non-functional, giving no chance for a quick defence and presentation of the truth. This is why the Polish League Against Defamation has drafted a civic project to amend the Press Law, among other things by radically shortening – to approximately 5 days – the waiting time for the publication of a correction. Maciej Świrski encourages you to support this important action and to sign the project.

In parallel with sorting out these issues, which are essential for the proper functioning of an efficient state, it is necessary to take care of participation in the most important civilisation project for Poland’s future. Although it sounds improbable to many and may seem crazy on the surface, Poland’s participation in a wide range of activities aimed at the colonisation of space is a historic task and deserves the serious involvement of the state and its structures.

We invite you to listen to the entire programme and to sign the civic draft amendment to the Press Law.

Praise the Police, chase the Bolsheviks

In the 36th episode of the RDI Podcast, Maciej Świrski and Chief Thasunke Witko discuss the recent events at Krakowskie Przedmieście, laughing good-naturedly at the various trans-binary language solutions of the new gender Marxist revolution , which is also creeping through the streets of Warsaw. But they were most serious in their praise for the hard work of the police, who, despite the insults and even physical attacks by the pseudo-protesters, remained fully professional, calm and composed.

An attack on identity, heritage and culture

DEFEND POLAND AGAINST NEO-BOLSHEVISM

We need to be vigilant, courageous and ready to effectively counteract the increasingly strong wave of aggression and hatred against Polishness. Politicians must make decisive and courageous decisions and state services, acting in accordance with the law, will ensure peace and order on our streets. This is what is expected by Poles, who are increasingly aware not only of the dangers, but also of the mission to stem the next wave of evil neo-Bolshevism, which is also attacking from … the West!

This time Fakty Wydarzenia Opinia, seemingly cassandrically, dealt with the issue of unrest and street riots, which the Left seems to be increasingly counting on. According to Maciej Świrski, under whose auspices the Polish League Against Defamation has prepared another report on riots in the United States , a similar scenario is also possible in Poland. The narrative of the total opposition, for whom the elections were unfair, serves this purpose. And this is why the left and liberals do not want to accept the result and thus may consider President Andrzej Duda’s power illegitimate. From here it is only a step away from social unrest and taking to the streets. Chief Thasunke Witko advises those calling for such forceful solutions, especially one famous patron, 'to go out himself first and preferably with his loved ones. We, on the other hand, should not go to the street there!”. According to commentators, in the case of brawls and street unrest, politicians must not fear, for example, for Poland’s image in the world, but firmly and courageously enforce the law in force. This is what ordinary, normal Poles expect from those in power. Defence of identity, heritage and culture. The defence of truth and the sacrum.

We would like to encourage you to read the following Redoubt Report entitled. „Will Aggressive Marxism Defeat the United States?” concerning the unrest in the United States.

At the same time, we ask you to financially support the activities of the Polish League Against Defamation.

The most urgent task of the ruling camp

CREATE A FASHION FOR POLISHNESS

The democratic election of proud Poles brought success to Andrzej Duda. However, the victory did not measure up to the reforms implemented by PIS, which, among other things, have empowered society and continue to give a boost to the economy. The responsibility for this falls on the foreign and domestic creators of the massive hate campaign against the incumbent President, against whom they did not hesitate to apply the mechanism of so-called character assassination – the disgusting cover of the weekly F. Unfortunately, the traditional narrative of Andrzej Duda did not reach the majority of the youngest generation of Poles living online. And it is this target group that should, as soon as possible, be injected with the 'fashion for Polishness’.

Commentators reflected on the priorities of the second term and unanimously agreed that it should be more dynamic and that the so-called hard and unpopular reforms should come first. Maciej Świrski believes that „a great infrastructural leap should be realised and Poland’s future should be shown as the future of families”. In Tasunke Witko’s opinion, it is absolutely necessary to start by building one’s own message, because only in this way will it be possible to show the truth about, among other things, large investments like CPK and their importance. The narrative of the right-wing camp should be addressed precisely to specific audiences. And so the 'net generation’ cannot keep getting 'platitudes with the cursed soldiers’, but must build on their experiences, emotions and ambitions by offering them a great adventure with Polishness. This, according to both publicists, is crucial and requires almost immediate perfect action.

Finally, the staff of diplomatic missions were insulted, who, according to Chief Tasunke Witko, instead of identifying with the policies of the ruling camp, mostly supported the Mayor of Warsaw.

Maciej Świrski appealed to the supporters of the Polish League Against Defamation for financial support, which is so necessary during a pandemic. This can be done simply and quickly via PayPal or BLIK https://rdi.org.pl/english/become-a-donor/.

We warmly encourage you to do so.

Gedeers on the offensive, that is.

AT THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN

Diversion and reconnaissance groups, or so-called gedeers, are special troops designed to sow panic and confusion, in the enemy’s rear. And it is to their actions that FWO commentators compare the filth pouring from the cover of 'Fakt’. In the opinion of Maciej Świrski and Chief Tasunke Witko, this is part of a precise special operation, planned to the last detail, to reduce Andrzej Duda’s chances. The use of such a 'dirty bomb’ of unprecedented strength, however, shows great desperation and, above all, a lack of faith in the success of the Warsaw Mayor.

The end of the campaign is becoming increasingly bizarre, as can be seen from Trzaskowski’s press conference, which was noisily and falsely labelled a debate. Every day brings this kind of manipulation and attempts by POKO to impose a message. Contrary to logic, reality and, above all, the truth, which is coming through more and more strongly from the capital, where the ineptitude of Trzaskowski’s government and that of his predecessor is increasingly evident. Czajka, tenements, pallets and buses are the so far registered signs of the time of the PO governments, which caused the Chief to compare Warsaw with the famous western Dodge City. As he confessed, he would feel much safer there in the Wild West….

Publicists agree that the election of Trzaskowski would lead to „the spoiling of the state, through constant vetoes, and would ultimately lead to early elections after a few months”. This would be accompanied by the „atmosphere of growing hatred” built up by the anti-press media, so familiar from this campaign.

Commentators wonder what should be done so that the disgraceful messages imitating the RAS daily are not repeated and call for a change in the press law, which was introduced under martial law and is nowhere near reality. Maciej Świrski believes that this kind of lies should not be left unaddressed – 'it must be stigmatised and neutralised’ and offers the president the know-how of a legal team: „We know how to win in court against this publisher. Besides, we need to be quicker and more efficient in building a true and attractive narrative. And let this thought guide us in these final days of the campaign.

FWO concludes with information about an upcoming court battle with Prof. J. Grabowski, who claims, among other things, that Poles murdered some 200,000 Jews during World War II. There is also an appeal for financial support for the activities of the Polish League Against Defamation in times of pandemonium. Details: rdi.org.pl

After the first round of the presidential election

THE NET GENERATION IS CHANGING THE WORLD!

This podcast was mostly filled with post-election reflections on the young generation and the hope of victory. Andrzej Duda emerged from a difficult 'one against many’ situation with dignity, but he still has a terribly tough fight ahead of him. Rightly, FWO commentators have devoted much time to analysing the so-called 'net generation’. Recall that only 15 per cent of this important group (18-29 years) voted for the president. Winning it over is insanely important and at the same time very difficult, because the young live in their own exclusive world, and besides… they hardly watch TV! Their motherlode is the Internet, and there it is in vain to find an effective electoral message for the head of state. In the opinion of our publicists, the PIS media officers are responsible for this state of affairs.

Are you familiar with Don Tapscott’s book „Digital Adulthood. How the net generation is changing our world”. If not, then after Maciej Świrski’s review you will certainly reach for it immediately. The author of this book, which was published in Polish in 2010, has predicted what will happen as a result of the increasingly intensive and massive use of the internet by young people. Social media, streaming media and the widespread use of mobile phones, in other words „modern broadcasting centres”, have become the prey of a one-way, outdated medium: television, which is watched by the young for an hour on average, while the target group aged 50+ sits in front of the television for six hours! Quite simply, this generation – which is online non-stop using a „pocket studio” – has a completely different perception of reality than we do, and has developed a different perception. As a result, TV or newspaper content is completely incomprehensible and boring, even if it is presented on a tray. And unfamiliar! THEY, also thanks to computer games, are used to being active, fighting – and, what is worth remembering, searching for information and confronting it. Good, isn’t it?

Chief Thasunke Witko, gives a very harsh assessment of the PIS staffers and suggests that they „take a ride on the metro in the morning and finally notice the taboos of young people penetrating the web on their mobile phones and only then work on an adequate message”. How to change this, what to do? There are no simple solutions and no single recipe. „Unfortunately, we are also seeing an oversaturation of patriotic platitudes. So, not only for current needs, something completely new is needed. Something that will trigger a new 'attractive patriotism’ in which the young will want to engage. Otherwise, they will reject everything, because, despite their few years of life, they already carry the experience of the recent time of „media chaff and media hatred”. It is also necessary to find the right message for the „net generation” and try to use it already in this campaign.

The commentators also signal the important problem of blaming Poles for crimes not committed and attempt to find temporal correlations between key Polish events and the growing „bludgeoning anti-Semitism”. This issue probably warrants a separate broadcast.

A lawsuit by Mrs Filomena Leszczyńska, niece of Edward Malinowski, against Barbara Engelking and Jan Grabowski is underway.The author wrote, and the scientific editor approved, that Edward Malinowski is „guilty of the death of Jews”. Filomena Leszczynska brought this lawsuit in defence of her uncle’s good name, and the Polish League Against Defamation is supporting this lawsuit, both legally, by paying court costs and legal aid, and research-wise. Filomena Leszczyńska is demanding an apology and PLN 100 000 in damages.

We are determined to help Ms Filomena defend the truth from being distorted by people who, in our opinion, being scientists, do not attach importance to the basic duty of a researcher – to seek the truth and document it on the basis of sources in an objective and unbiased manner. In the book „Further is the night” – in our opinion – we unfortunately do not find such an attitude.

We invite you to listen in.

Ahead of the presidential election.

POLAND IS GOING UP!

FWO commentators were unanimous that Poland’s position is getting stronger, and the meeting between President Andrzej Duda and Donald Trump proves it. It is not only prestige and a likely boost to the campaign, but above all real benefits for the Polish state. In addition to a significant increase in the contingent of troops, it is also an opportunity to build a safe and efficient nuclear power plant, i.e. a transfer of the latest nuclear technology. And this is a guarantee of a concrete and permanent American presence in Poland, regardless of political turmoil and conjunctures.

Maciej Świrski and Thasunke Witko talk a dozen hours before the presidents’ meeting at the White House. By efficiently analysing common assets and interests, they try to draw conclusions and suggest optimal solutions to Polish diplomats. They are well aware that there could be a change in the US president in November, which could result in a reset in relations with the Kremlin. Maciej Świrski believes that everything must be done to ensure that the Americans have a lasting interest in their presence in Poland. And he hints that the protection of cutting-edge nuclear technology-vital to US national security-is a guarantee of this. And for Poland, American presence and shared strategic interests are a matter of independence and security.

Poland is going up and Trump, having rejected an invitation to a grand parade in Moscow, is going to confront Putin. We must therefore expect a sharp propaganda response from the Kremlin’s services.

We will know in a few hours what President Andrzej Duda’s visit will bring.

No more toxic leaders

THERE IS ONLY ONE LEADER

„Comments on the debate more interesting than the debate itself”-this is how the televised duel between contenders for the highest dignity in the state was succinctly-and aptly!-summarised by Chief Thasunke Witko. Unfortunately, this could not be confirmed by FWO host Maciej Świrski, who simply does not have a TV set (lucky him!), and it was the chief himself who tried to rank the candidates in terms of their leadership. The highest rating went to the incumbent president, who, although he cannot fully spread his wings in the current constitutional order, is a good leader. Bosak is better than the 'agitated’ Trzaskowski, and Kamysz has no leadership qualities at all. In general, this is the aftermath of the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new leaders in Poland and Jaroslaw Kaczynski still holds the reign of the soul alone.

Maciej Świrski even risked a thesis that there is – with considerable social expectations – a kind of leadership deficit. Fortunately, this is not the case in the Polish armed forces, as proved by Tasunko Witko, let us recall: years ago, an officer who fought in Afghanistan, among other places. He has found someone who meets all the criteria of a modern commander, indeed a commander in chief in the event of war! This is the most important soldier in the Polish Army, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, Chief of General Staff, under whose orders our commentator served years ago: he is tough but fair and inspires confidence.

On the opposite side are the so-called toxic leaders, and unfortunately there are more of these. The best army in the world, i.e. the US, has found a way to deal with them and for years has been ruthlessly cracking down on those who have false ambitions, are unpredictable and cause a constant atmosphere of danger and fear. Will we be able to get rid of these narcissistic, manipulative and eternally intriguing toxic leaders! Let us hope and do it for Poland.

In Warsaw, at the back of St John’s Cathedral, at 20/22 Kanonia Street, there is an unusual and still little-known museum dedicated to one of the greatest heroes of modern Polish history. The General Kukliński Memorial Chamber is headed by Filip Frąckowiak, son of the famous Józef Szaniawski. And it is he, who is Maciej Świrski’s guest.

In the conversation, little known and interesting facts about Ryszard Kukliński are revealed. A Varsovian, brought up in the New Town, already as a boy he showed great courage, e.g. by smuggling food to Jews in the ghetto. He was a believer, even in the army during Stalinist times he prayed when going to bed, and later, as an officer, he got married in church. After the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Crime on the Coast in 1970, he decided on his own initiative to provide information to the „enemy of our enemy”. His output consists of some 40,000 super-secret – mostly written in Cyrillic – documents with, among other things, information on where and with what forces the Soviets would strike, or where their shelters and command posts were located. The first to learn of their contents was David Forden of the CIA, who was Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski’s liaison officer between 1973 and 1981. The men remained friends for the rest of their lives.

„He knew perfectly well how much he was risking. From the windows of his room he could see the prison on Rakowiecka Street… Nevertheless, he sacrificed everything on the altar of the Fatherland,” Filip Frąckowiak points out. He did not want a huge graveyard to be left of Poland.”

Encouraging you to listen to the podcast and visit the museum, we recall the words of US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Casey, who wrote in a report to President Ronald Reagan on 9 February 1982: „No one in the world in the last 40 years has harmed communism as much as this Pole”.

A recipe for electoral victory

(ALMOST) UNIVERSAL MOBILISATION

It started with a slip-up. In his very first words, Maciej Świrski welcomed all … viewers. Could it be that TV-Reduta is about to be launched? Well, we shall see. For now, both publicists announced in the broadcast, an almost universal mobilisation of Andrzej Duda’s 'natural, biological electorate’. Anything to prevent the Platforma Obywatelska from returning to power.

A few weeks ago, the situation was comfortable, with a weak candidate guaranteeing a walled defeat of her own and paving the way for the incumbent president to win. Unfortunately, Gowin gave a hand to the sinking PO and it became possible to „replace one player in the course of the game”, who efficiently used the freshness effect. „Beauty talk”, i.e. the election programme of Trzaskowski-„Geremek’s spiritual upbringing”-can be summarised in two sentences: total criticism of PiS and promotion of the ideology of „free unions”. This is far too little to convince one of his competence as head of state. Commentators also had considerable difficulty in finding in the President of the capital city the qualities of a head of the armed forces, which Andrzej Duda does not lack. Also in foreign policy, the pretender Trzaskowski has nothing to boast about, apart from his participation in the creation of anti-Polish legislation. Chief Tasunko Witko, is already promoting him with the title of „halberdier of the east”, should he by some miracle manage to become president.

Other candidates have been marginalised by publicists, which is obvious and quite understandable in light of the polls.

The next podcast will deal with the important issue of true leadership, not only on the Polish political scene.

Swirski report, or modus vivendi with Netflix

HOW TO LIVE IN AN INFORMATION BUBBLE

Have you read the latest Polish League Against Defamation Report yet? Not yet? Oh… then you are definitely behind the mainstream media, because their drones did so immediately after publication, and even demanded that it be made available, after the first signal from the head of the Redoubt that it had been written! What is there to say that it has already been downloaded by several thousand people, and stones have once again flown at Maciej Swirski.

The truth. The truth about the frightening, not realised and ever-growing power of streaming platforms and the idea of befriending them. Maciej Świrski, the spiritus movens of the venture, once again patiently explains that he did not intend to take Netflix to court because it is counter-productive and detrimental to Poland. „They (streaming platform managers) are on a content hunger. They need authentic, real stories. And we Poles have that, e.g. Pilecki, Merian Cooper. You just have to prove that it’s not about politics,” concludes the head of the Polish League Against Defamation. This is perfectly understood by Chief Tasunko Witko, who sees how social bonds are being torn apart and that the game is about the highest stakes: the government of souls. However, the „elites” attacking the head of the Polish League Against Defamation completely fail to see this, as their „immaturity and parochialism come out”, while in the USA there has long been a discussion about streaming platforms and social media, especially in the context of freedom and censorship.

Also of concern to FWO commentators is the rising tide of street riots, which were not neutralised at the outset because there was a lack of a 'show of force’. The blame for this lies with the Democrat governors and presidents, who are pursuing breakneck policies and are independent of Washington. Publicists recall that there have been complaints about the incriminated police officer before, but no one in the Democrat-ruled city responded. In general, Tasunko Witko and M. Świrski, in a broader perspective, see similarities between what is happening in our country and in the USA. „Poland is a kind of training ground, for the solutions applied overseas. This can be seen especially in the ruthless fight against authority, in the US with Trump and in us now with Minister Szumowski. This is the typical Soviet school of so-called character destruction, „stick something negative to a person, which will already be associated with that person in public opinion forever”. Disgusting, but effective?

Next week in FWO about the elections, which are already on 28 June.

The war that has not broken out is won

WHO IS DESTROYING SHUMOWSKI?

Minister Lukasz Szumowski is, for a large part of the public and FWO columnists, an authority who has taken on the burden of the fight against the pandemic and is fighting it with determination and success. And that is why, according to Maciej Świrski, he has become the target of a special, planned and ruthlessly executed – Soviet-style – destruction operation.  He has been ruthlessly and methodically attacked, by the „media favourable to totalitarians”, and has rightly received strong support from Jarosław Kaczyński.

In Chief Tasunko’s opinion, those forces that lost financially from the epidemic, e.g. those that did not receive orders, may also be behind the attacks on the minister. Wodz advises all the professor’s critics to recall the images from China, Italy, which so electrified the whole world and aroused terror, also in Poland. At the same time, he admits that he does not have the imagination to put the former head of the Ministry of Health, Arłukowicz, in the role of a coronavirus fighter. In agreement, both commentators are full of admiration for Minister Szumowski’s character, willpower and culture.

The issue of the professorial world, considered also in terms of culture, is commented on when speaking about the continuing alleged violation of the Constitution by those in power. ” We’ve come to have a few, maybe a dozen million constitutionalists in Poland,” the leader notes with a wry smile. However, Professors Matczak and Sadurski got the most flak. By the way, one can also listen to the praise of the profession and ethos of the concrete-remedialist, because the people who perform it must first and foremost be responsible, which they differ brilliantly from the „best and smartest” professors.

Commentators also lean with concern on the issue of presidential elections and wonder when they will finally be held….

In the tone of „Trójka”

Rafal stickler for the Platform

The conversation between the two commentators, was dominated by Rafal Trzaskowski and his first days as a Platforma Obywatelska candidate. Mercifully and briefly, Chief Tasunko Witko reflected on what the latter could bring new to the country’s defense and foreign policy, while Maciej Swirski, a historian by profession, presented the genealogy of the contender’s lineage to the highest dignity in the state. And here the concessionary fare ended, as Trzaskowski was reminded of the stinking „Czajka” case and the scandalous 4 percent of processed applications, for a shield to protect the capital’s business, which weighs fatally on the Warsaw mayor and testifies to his mediocre organizational skills.

Once again, attention was drawn to the severely inadequate information policy of the good change and the failure to hold the Warsaw politician accountable for the stinking affair. This one, oblivious to his dubious accomplishments, has himself moved to a ruthless-and so far effective-offensive against the government.

It was also impossible not to comment on the events surrounding Radio „Trójka”. The key to this media scandal, according to Maciej Swirski, is the shadowy personnel decisions of the spring of 1982, when the best radio station in the country was pacified, which shortly thereafter, became „an agenda of the communist regime.” And today, the stars of 3/5/7 Mysliwiecka Street, not only grow politically, but carry out a clever „marketing operation” to secure funding for their new radio station. The role of „Trójka” was also rightly emphasized, in reassuring listeners, in the false belief of a certain superiority and being an elite.

Commentators are eagerly awaiting the relaunch of the campaign. They also expect a new quality and effectiveness from Andrzej Duda, pointing the President in a proven direction: the electorate of small towns.

Casus: lawyer Kamil K.

FUELING THE SPIRAL OF HATRED

This time, important events in current Polish politics and history, such as the death of Marshal Pilsudski or the memories of the heroes immortalized in „The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino,” had to give way to threatening Twitter posts. This exceptionally shameful and disgusting event has left Maciej Swirski and Chief Tasunko Witko, moved and extremely concerned. No wonder, a red line was crossed before our eyes, because how else to judge the public calls for the „final solution,” the physical elimination of Chairman Kaczynski and PIS senators?

Commentators strongly protest the use of hateful and contemptuous language. They believe that the former activist of Nowoczesna-and a lawyer by training!-has deliberately introduced a powerful charge of hatred into the public space. Then again, this is largely the result of the atmosphere of brusqueness and hatefulness that has been floating from the message of the mainstream media, which imposes its narrative ruthlessly for years.

Is Kamil K. counting on impunity? That will become clear when the case goes to court. It will certainly be commented on in future editions of Facts-Events-Opinion.

We invite you to listen to the RDI Podcast!

DESTABILISATION OF POLAND AS A TARGET FOR RUSSIA

Grzegorz Kuczynski. Eastern affairs expert, journalist and analyst. He is the author of books and publications on the behind-the-scenes of Russian politics.

Grzegorz Kuczynski has not the slightest illusion that the Kremlin authorities are doing everything to destabilise the situation in Poland. And they are consistent and determined in this. Why are they doing this? They do not want Polish energy independence, because this, in the long run, could deprive them of the government of their souls in the countries in which they have so far, by various methods, maintained influence.

Fortunately, an expert on Russian affairs also provides a recipe for successfully countering imperial temptations. First and foremost, expanding and strengthening energy independence, strengthening the alliance with the USA and NATO and strengthening relations with the inter-Maidan states and a wise policy towards Kiev and Minsk. Of course, also the continuation of major investments such as CPK.

This is difficult especially as the opposition is still swinging the boat hard, „do they really not realise the consequences and real threats from the eastern direction?”. The question is particularly pertinent, in light of international findings confirming Russian inspiration for many „strange events” and the findings of Polish investigators e.g. on the matric bomb alerts.

We should also be aware that Russia has declared a 'war of remembrance’ on us, that is to say a special operation , waged on the ground of the past, with the involvement of historians, archivists linked to the services. Its constant aim is to discredit Poland by assigning co-responsibility for the outbreak of World War II (Zaolzie) or acknowledging the so-called state anti-Semitism of the Second Republic (Lipsky report). According to editor Kuczynski, this is a 'pre-emptive manoeuvre’ before the jubilee of the 1920 Victory. , and its aim is … 'to minimise image damage’.

Naturally, the blade of this deceitful campaign was blunted by the pandemic, which took Putin and his regime by surprise, completely unprepared to ensure the health and economic security of Russians. For this, survival is assured, with major arms and energy corporations linked to the Kremlin and a guard to guard the president’s security.

Whether a palace conspiracy is possible and why one should not talk to Russia, these weighty questions are also answered in an interview given to Maciej Świrski on 11 May by the eminent Russia expert, editor Grzegorz Kuczynski. We invite you to listen to RDI Podcast No. 22!

SUCH A VILLAGE I SEE…

Listen, patiently and carefully, to this ponderous testimony of Minister Ardanowski. It is a poignant document of the struggle between David and Goliath, a wise and experienced man who has devoted his entire life to the Polish countryside and does not throw words to the wind.

Undoubtedly, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski is one of the best ministers of this government. He is well prepared professionally, has his farm, has been fighting for farmers for several decades and has character. Besides, he has esprit de corps and the reforms he is introducing, allow him to be counted already, among the outstanding peasant figures.

Have you already listened to the interview with the Minister of Agriculture, who encourages people to pray for rain, especially this May, which is decisive, for a good harvest? Ardanowski does not hide his faith and admits to it. He has taken a beating for it more than once, and is sure to take another beating. As at the time, with a certain titled lady from the Platforma Obywatelska, whom he convinced scientifically that Poland has a diverse climate, or in skirmishes with „environmentalists” using language straight out of „Der Stuermer”, which „will never say sorry.”

He responsibly guarantees our food security, but at the same time reproaches Poles for wasting as much as 30 percent of their food, which is not only a sin, but also… stupid. He has a specific development plan for farmers and the countryside that, among other things, relies on family farms and encourages people to buy directly where healthy and without preservatives. He enjoys, even admires, the clever rural housewives who are active in some 10,000 new circles, and sees this as a factor in civilizational and social development. Such activity, and hope, did not exist under the PSL government, which he blames directly for the destruction of agriculture after 1989. „It’s a party of the apparatus, firmly entrenched in local government, which plays for everything to keep its officials.”

Minister Ardanowski knows and understands the important role peasants have played in history, and in order to finally be able to talk about it without complexes and document current issues, he established the National Institute for Rural Culture and Heritage. It is also supposed to be, a weapon in the fight for truth: „let the countryside stop being the great mute.” Allegations about… the murder of Jews by Polish peasants, he calls an abomination, and knows full well that it is necessary to tell the world, the true story of those tragic years. Probably for this reason, too, he is vice-chairman of the parliamentary team for dialogue with the Knesset, where he lashes out at his interlocutors about the Jewish police or the Karski report. Besides, he himself, in 2014, wrote a book, about the nightmarish fate of the Jewish women in the Mierznek camp and the heroic help of the local residents, who ” in helplessness, helped as much as they could”; and then commemorated this Holocaust site, with a 38-ton boulder with an inscription in Hebrew.

The visionary minister sees in his compatriots industriousness, resourcefulness and a specific „cunning.” These qualities, too, will make it possible to build an efficient state, the heart of which will be modern agriculture.

So, there is nothing left for us to do but to wish Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski and „His Wards”-those who feed and defend-the Polish peasants: Best of God!

FACTS-EVENTS-OPINIONS

Maciej Świrski and Chief Tasunko Witko comment on the events of the last week

The United Right will survive

BOYS DON’T CRY, OR A TORN GOWIN

Well, as we write these words, the atmosphere is getting thicker and thicker. Everyone is asking themselves once again, what will happen next? And this mood, of anticipation of the inevitable, is also lending itself to commentators, even when they are talking about something seemingly distant, the ghost of Gowin hovers not only over this conversation, but over Poland….

Will the United Right survive? Maciej Świrski and his regular guest feel anxious, but are of good cheer.

Commenting on the week’s events, they note President Andrzej Duda’s very good speech at the convention, which, in a condensed form, recalled the undoubted successes of those in power. Both journalists admit that some important achievements of the Right have simply been forgotten. The attack on the head of state, for mentioning the American armaments purchased by Poland, makes them regret and confirms the direction of the chosen path: „one must arm oneself!”.

Onet’s apparent embarrassment, regarding the alleged resignation of the President, is more likely to be seen by journalists as the result of a deliberate leak rather than a mere desire to manipulate. Nevertheless, this slip-up, brilliantly demonstrates the level of journalism in Poland.

Both commentators declare their willingness to take part in the elections, regardless of their form.

The leader sees in Simon’s crying a lack of manliness and weakness, which completely rules him out of running for office, as the president must be tough to stand up to extreme experiences such as war. The head of RDI, on the other hand, sees this as a deliberate ploy aimed at a specific audience, namely the generation born after 89.

Wladek „rubber” Kamysz, who is a perfect product of his PSL: for a stool, he will go into coalition with anyone.

Both men were shocked to see an LGBT activist ostentatiously burning the Polish flag. They see this as a desire to provoke aggression on the internet against this environment. Nevertheless, this is a matter for the prosecution.

Maciej Świrski and Tasunko Witko believe that the good change will continue.

And let’s stick to that. It will be good!

The need for a strong Polish alliance with the USA

MEMENTO WITH VIETNAM IN THE BACKGROUND

In the premiere edition of the podcast Cards from History, another media venture of the Polish League Against Defamation, we travel to Vietnam to experience the bitterness of a defeat that might not have been at all. It is all the more painful because it paved the way for the communism that continues there to this day. However, this is not only an interesting historical broadcast. It is first and foremost a memento for the Poles, who, remembering the lessons of Indochina, should quickly build a strong and efficient state, in an equal alliance with the United States.

In this online publication, we learn the behind-the-scenes story of the collapse of a massive military operation in which some 3 million Americans took part by 1973. Maciej Świrski and Aleksander Wierzejski do not provide a textbook vision, but rather provide guidance, for further independent research and study. Anyway, it seems that their intention from the beginning is different.

Reminiscent of a war actually won by US troops, they analyse the powerful and destructive role of the media (how do we know that!) These, by presenting a false and tragic picture of events at the front, manipulate public opinion and thus influence those in power. Politicians are beginning to self-limit and the 'accidental’ President Johnson is even meddling in the details of command. From here it is only a step away from tragedy.

It is worth remembering here that the bloody and protracted conflict in question was the first war in which the media broadcast the horror of war, as it were, directly into American homes. Therefore, the heavily manipulated message gave a sense of defeat and aroused the need, as soon as possible, for the survivors to return home. Unfortunately, the US government was unable to win this conflict propaganda-wise, and the erroneous 'body count’ strategy, e.g. 10 enemies for every 1 US soldier, only gave another argument to the opponents. The influence agents and the Kremlin played a large role in this.

The decision to abandon its former Vietnamese ally reminds columnists of Yalta, but this does not determine their deliberations. Maciej Świrski and Aleksander Wierzejski, skilfully sketch out a vision of cooperation with the „American dragon” – common interests e.g. in the field of energy resources, but also forecast greater exports from Poland.

It should be remembered that the tough Vietnamese experience has also influenced later successes, in other wars fought by the Americans. Intelligent weapons and aeromobility, pioneered by General Edward Rowny, a Pole of Polish descent, proved excellent in Iraq, in the fight against terrorism.

The publicists draw attention to the importance of traditions for Americans, including military traditions, which are passed on from generation to generation. At the same time, they sadly note that our traditions were brutally interrupted by communism.

As a tribute to the brave American soldiers, including the nearly 60,000 fallen and missing, Maciej Świrski dedicates a wonderful ballad by Stan Ridgway – Camouflage.

About a certain laird, his trolling and the PO…spike

Two prominent platformologists, Maciej Świrski and Chief Tasunko Witko, took on an unambitious task. The object of their shepherding was Tusk, who this time had set himself up by speaking out, hours before the broadcast was recorded. His talk was unequivocally categorised as a „determined act of trolling”, and he himself, with increasing difficulty, fit the definition of a politician. As if that were not enough, because of his laziness, he was not treated by commentators, as a serious candidate for the leadership of the next de/generation of the Freedom Union. Besides, it is rumoured that Grzegorz S., „next to whom Brutus is a good boy”, is already lurking for him.

Traditionally, the Platforma Obywatelska has been hit, which, after Kidawa’s daily dose of discrediting, is left with one constant goal: confusion. This is, incidentally, to the advantage of the Germans, who „have a problem with their strategic commodity, i.e. … asparagus”. This is not the only problem facing our Spree neighbours. The succession to Merkel is still unresolved and clearly exhausted, and this directly affects the quality of German politics.

There was also the story of Mosbacher, who threatened Tefalen with her finger, and of President Donald Trump, who has similar media problems as the Polish government. Unfortunately, the campaign against the conservative camp and the agencies of the Polish State will continue. The Polish Post Office will continue to be ripped off. It is a very important national institution, despite the fact that postmen and postwomen have not worn the national eagle since the PO government.

At the end of the broadcast, wishes were made for Gowin to stay after all. We join in!

Waszczykowski’s vaccine for an infected Europe

NATION STATES INSTEAD OF FEDERALISATION

This time, Maciej Świrski reached a much shaken Brussels to hear from Witold Waszczykowski about the behind-the-scenes unpreparedness and confusion, in a European Union shrunk by England. The former foreign minister explains that, despite the lack of rights to concrete action, the EU did not even gather knowledge and experience, and „after all, the epidemic was not the first time”. According to the former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the problem is that „the Union has tended to usurp the rights to act in areas not covered by the treaties, e.g. rule of law issues”.

The MEP is sceptical about great expectations, regarding changes in international relations, because it is unlikely, as he put it philosophically: „because human nature will not change”.

Asked about possible reactions from Italy or Spain, he called a possible exit from the Union, now, a mistake. He also recommended reforming it, because „the big neighbours are just waiting for the next exits”. He also gave the basic directions of the expected reforms.

Our international situation, mainly in the EU, is determined by the ongoing „ideological war”, to which Poland has so far been a victim. The antidote, should be the expansion of the Tri-Mountain area and increasingly close relations with the United States.

Maciej Świrski and Witold Waszczykowski agreed that Poland faces great opportunities, even civilisational development, for example in the key area of digitalisation or artificial intelligence. The former foreign minister declared that he believes in the dynamism of our society, which is still hungry for success. This is brilliantly understood by the Polish authorities, who will not only hold the elections, but will continue to pursue key reforms with determination, „despite Budka rocking this boat”.

A conversation with Barbara Nowak, the education superintendent of Małopolska.

If anyone is still unfamiliar with the condition of the Polish school or wonders whether it can be reformed to become a mainstay of the Polish State in times of pandemic, they should listen to a conversation between two former history teachers.

Maciej Świrski, an educator with many years of experience, and Barbara Nowak, the Małopolska school superintendent, accurately diagnose the dangerous diseases afflicting teacher-trainees, such as bureaucracy, mental poverty, the rat race and further specialisations that do not bring knowledge. Nor do they leave a dry thread in the wake of the reforms to date, which were de facto designed to educate students to work in… corporations.

The interviewees, do not give simple prescriptions and are economical with words. However, they do want educators to draw on the emotions and experiences of the pupils of the „net generation” to introduce them to an interesting world by being in their own environment and gaining experience.

A capital role, in a completely new school, will be played by headmasters, who cannot, as at present, be elected by a sit-in of the mayor – „it is time to put an end to the destructive bicameral government”, and „the local government should only concern itself with the school base”. Also a large group of teachers should be outside education. Then schools will be able to transmit the Polish cultural code and serve the homeland.

Barbara Nowak pays a high price every day for her steadfast views. However, as a superintendent she is very effective in enforcing the law. 20 principals have already been convinced of this, „because school is supposed to be school”.

Maciej Świrski Chief Thasunke Witko comments on the events of the past week

To those who scare and hate

THEY WILL ENTER, THEY WILL NOT ENTER…

The latest issue of FWO begins with an analysis of the actions of the German branch of Amnesty International, which has equated Polish and Hungarian democracy with… Turkish democracy. In Chief Tasunko Witko-commentator of Facts- this caused a smile of disbelief and pity. Maciej Świrski and his guest came to the conclusion that this organisation, which was meritorious years ago, plays a special role in the brutal propaganda war against Poland.

The publicists were also outraged by the use of a logo with a lightning bolt by abortion supporters a few days ago, which is clearly associated with symbols of the German SS: „What must the man who came up with this have in his head!”.

Tusk was also given a healthy thrashing for his „troll level” and desire to be the „Anders of the 21st century”, Budka and Kopaczowa, also for their lack of loyalty to the Republic. Professor Pawłowicz, on the other hand, was praised for justifying the verdict of the Constitutional Tribunal and reminding the judges that they issue verdicts on behalf of the Polish state and not the European courts.

Maciej Świrski was tempted to interpret, controversially, Ambassador Mosbacher’s tweet and encouraged its careful reading. Let us therefore recall these words: „TVN is part of the Discovery family, an American company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, whose priorities are transparency, freedom of expression and independent and responsible journalism.” And what did the ambassador not write? This was pointed out by Maciej Świrski.

The hour-long programme, ended with information about the purchase by the Ministry of Defence, of state-of-the-art American Javelin hand-held anti-tank guided missiles and the consideration of „will they go in, won’t they?!”, with the answer, given by Chief Tasunko Witko- a retired army officer: Khrushchev-no, Brezhnev-no, Gorbachev-no. THEY- will not budge either! They will threaten, provoke, but they will not move!”. So sleep soundly Listeners.

DOWN WITH THE COMMUNE!!!

The silent echo of this cry, permeates the entire conversation, of two important persons for RDI. Tadeusz M. Płużański (born in 1971), journalist, historian and president of the „Łączka” Foundation and also a member of the RDI Council (!), speaks as befits an uncompromising slayer of communism, which is still alive, albeit under changing masks.

The conversation also includes precise descriptions of the total opposition, i.e. „a hydra flitting about with its heads blown off”, and of the struggle between the third generation of secret police and the third generation of Home Army men. According to T. Płużański and M. Świrski, it will not be possible to build a free Poland without naming and accounting for all post-war crimes and agreeing to the so-called Round Table abolition.

The discussants note the withering of the EU „similar to the helplessness and sweeping of issues under the carpet typical of the declining USSR” and the absurd attempts at permanent surveillance of citizens and especially of nation states doing well in the fight against pandemics.

The editors, Płużański and Świrski, still hope to repair the Union, and see a successful Poland, in a stronger alliance with the USA and… a „Tri-National Union of many North-South axis nations”. However, for such a vision to triumph, the slogan „Down with communism” must finally be realised.

Every week at the Polish League Against Defamation

FACTS EVENTS OPINIONS

On Radio Free Europe, more than a quarter of a century ago, the last legendary programme FACTS EVENTS OPINIONS was broadcast. Well known to the older generation, it was probably the most famous journalistic programme of the RWE Polish Broadcasting Service. This important programme was broadcast daily between 1960 and 1994. This 30-minute programme, listened to by truth-hungry Poles, contained above all up-to-date commentary on the most important events in the country. Information from all over the world was provided by RWE correspondents, and Fakty took on extraordinary importance especially at times of breakthroughs, unrest and danger.

Today, we have decided to reach back in our podcast, not only to this legendary name FAKTY WYDARZENIA OPINIE, but also, successively, to develop the interesting and diverse formula of the new programme, in a pandemic reality.

In the first programme, you will hear Maciej Świrski, the host of Fakty, who has invited Tȟašúŋke Witkó, an Indian chief from the Oglal tribe, known for his journalistic temperament, to join him. This well-known commentator on political life, was already the protagonist of one of RDI’s podcasts.

This time, the gentlemen took on board, the most important events of the last few days. In their opinion, the arrival of the largest aircraft in the world – the famous An-225 Mriya – once again highlighted the serious deficits of the anti-government political class, bravely supported by the so-called durnalists. The spokespersons were also insulted, most notably Laskowski, who suggests that the election of the new president of the highest court will not take place because of: concern for the lives of the electors.

The chief, as an ex-militant, admitted that he had no problems with „trim to the dimensions” and was comfortable with the strictures and immobilisation promulgated by „leaders at the level”. The publicists agreed that there is a need to more radically counter the wave of fake news, disinformation that is primarily of Russian provenance.

The future, unfortunately, is still uncertain. Will China become the hegemon and will Russia be knocked down by an invisible enemy. What about the Union. Will there be an Italexit. To these questions, there are no answers. It is still divination, in increasingly murky water. And here, too, Chief Tȟašúŋke Witkó turns out to be an optimist, while Maciej Świrski retains-as always-his famous realism.

The next issue of Facts will be published in a week’s time on 23^rd of April.

Today is 10 April, a significant date and a significant day – Good Friday. On this occasion, in our podcast a conversation with Jacek Kowalski about the Passion Mystery and all the songs from this Mystery in Góra Kalwaria. I invite you to listen and reflect on this special day. These songs will help us to relive Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross. We talk about how these songs were created, about the combination of tradition and modernity in the Polish faith. About our Polish modernity marked also by – suffering.

It has been 10 years since Góra Kalwaria revived the tradition of street passion plays. In 2010 Góra Kalwaria returned to its tradition, becoming the New Jerusalem. At 3 p.m., residents and visitors lined the square, and the temple guard led the Galilean who had just been arrested in front of the palace of the Roman governor Pilate. Thus began the Passion Play, which has been prepared every year since by the people of the town and the surrounding area. For the community preparing the mystery, that day was the culmination of half a year’s work – and also the joy of having succeeded.

And 12 days later, President Lech Kaczyński, his Spouse and 94 members of the Polish elite died over Smolensk. We also remember them today. It was a shock that changed the lives of many Poles. That is how I feel about it: The Passion Play written for Góra Kalwaria by Jacek Kowalski. Sung by the author and actors of the Passion Play and the Reditus choir. Accompanied by the JK Monogram Band. Arrangements by Anita Murawka. The songs come from a CD prepared by the Brotherhood of the Passion of Christ Mystery from Góra Kalwaria.

In this, the 11th episode, we deal with today’s CJEU ruling that targets the Polish Supreme Court – the Disciplinary Chamber. We strongly comment on this scandalous „judgment”. In this context, we talk to Mr Tomasz Lutek – the court expert. Well – the opposition is demanding the introduction of a state of emergency. This entails compensation, the amount of which will be decided by the courts. And so the circle closes.

We are also beginning coverage of a 'court thriller’, in the case concerning the book Further is the Night, edited by Prof Jan Grabowski and Prof Barbara Engelking. We will publish these episodes every few days, so that Listeners will be kept up to date.

The swish of a shell from an anti-tank grenade launcher, only preceded by a second by a hail of machine-gun bullets that clattered against the armour of the Polish transporter. That was exactly sixteen years ago. At 0.20 a.m. on 5 April 2004, an unforgettable night in Karbala began for a young captain, commander of one of the Polish Army’s subunits.

Today, when asked about his fear, Maciej Świrski’s interlocutor frankly replies that in his case it was only a stomach ache and jaw-dropping. Americans? OK, but they’ve caved in to procedures. And besides, the 48-year-old retired Polish Army officer, a resident of Łódź and now a resident of Krakow, a commando and a columnist, among other things, denounces the SLD’s squandering of human capital in the army, points out the dangerous imposition of narratives on the younger generation by left-liberal circles. Chief Thasunko Witko also has a hint for pseudo-liberal 'journos’ to put on their smocks and go work in hospitals.

Maciej Swirski is right, not only to admit his acquaintance with Thasunko Witko (real name known to the Editor ), but to emphasise that it was in the RDI Online magazine that the Oglal Chief had his journalistic premiere.

The Chief’s advice to the Poles: despite the freedom gene, let’s sit at home and listen to Szumowski!

After this podcast, you too will want to become an Indian.

On Palm Sunday 2010, which then fell on 28 March, Mount Calvary returned to its tradition of becoming the New Jerusalem. At 3 p.m., the town square was crowded with residents and visitors, while the temple guard led the Galilean who had just been arrested to the palace of the Roman governor Pilate. This was the beginning of the Passion Play, which has been prepared annually ever since by the people of the city and the surrounding area.

It is worth knowing that the New Jerusalem – today’s Góra Kalwaria – founded by Bishop Wierzbowski in the 17th century, was to be for Warsaw and Mazovia what Kalwaria Zebrzydowska was and is for Krakow. It was a city of passion and pilgrimage. Several religious orders settled there, including the Polish Marians, newly founded by St Stanislaus Papczyński, and during the Triduum a mystery play was held that lasted all of those three days, drawing crowds of pilgrims from all over Mazovia. We wanted to return to this tradition of reenacting and experiencing the mystery of the Passion of Christ together, preparing our Mystery.

I had the honour of being among the initiators and organisers of this project – led by the then custodian of the church in Marianki, Father Wojciech Skóra, a Marian, together with Maciek and Alicja Marchewicz, Joanna and Damian Gucz, my wife Halina. Łukasz Głodek undertook the direction, and we asked Jacek Kowalski for the songs that accompanied each scene. The list of those involved was very long… Decoration by Stanisław Kochański, costumes sewn by volunteers under the direction of Joanna Gucza, props – all this required the work of many people. The long hours of rehearsals really tested the patience of the volunteer actors, but no one complained. We all felt a great sense of what we were doing. We made sure we had a professional sound system, and live music was played by the band Monogramist JK. This first Mysterium in 2010 was a great experience both for us and for the audience. One could see tears in many eyes…There were also conversions….

It seemed that every year already, on the threshold of Holy Week, the streets of Góra Kalwaria would be transformed into the backstreets of Jerusalem. And so it was. In this cell we founded the Brotherhood of the Passion Play. The scenes, the decorations, the songs kept coming. Until this year, when preparations were interrupted by the plague….

On this sunny Palm Sunday, I wanted to recall those first Mysteriums. In 2011, Jacek Kowalski wrote new texts for the Mysterium and, at our request, recorded them. The recording was produced and edited by Danka Błaszak. It lay in the computer, almost forgotten, for years. But now I thought it was the right time to pull it out. And so: The Passion Play written for Góra Kalwaria by Jacek Kowalski, read by the author. Between scenes, fragments of songs by Jacek Kowalski arranged by Anita Murawka, played by the band Monogramista JK, sung by the Author and the choir Reditus. Since the recording of the fifth scene – Veronica’s Veil – has been lost in the depths of the computer, it will be replaced by Veronica’s Song, sung by Joanna Świrska.

Have a listen…

ALEKSANDER WIERZEJSKI

This time, Maciej Świrski’s guest was Aleksander Wierzejski – a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Warsaw, and a well-known journalist with Radio WNET and Telewizja Republika, specialising, among other things, in the economy of the age of space discoveries. And you will not be disappointed! The interviewees, outright outdid themselves in describing the latest technologies and inventions, obviously in the service of man threatened by an invisible… virus. Do you remember Sonda on TVP and the irreverent editors Kurek and Kaminski? Look out!

FIDELITY TO HIS FIRST VOCATION AND SERVICE TO HIS HOMELAND

Today: Stanisław Karczewski – surgeon doctor, politician, Deputy Speaker of the Senate

From the Hippocratic Oath:

(…) I promise to:

-to serve human health and life,

-to the best of my knowledge, prevent suffering and illnesses, and to help the sick without distinction of any kind, such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion, property or other, with the sole aim of their welfare and showing them the respect due to them (…)

An exceptional interview conducted from the quarantine where Marshal Stanislaw Karczewski was staying, after the duty he performed, in the hospital he knew so well, in the New Town. About the medical vocation from which no one can dismiss and about the difficult and responsible service of senators, parties and citizens in Poland in the era of the coronavirus.

ITALY MARCH 2020…

Tomasz ŁYSIAK -ur. 1970 Scrittore e giornalista polacco.

Writer, journalist, publicist, screenwriter. A great expert and lover of Italian tradition and culture.

An hour-long conversation conducted on the evening of 24 March 2020.

We encourage you to listen to the results of a precise investigation. Tomasz Lysiak’s journalistic integrity exposes the cardinal negligence of the WHO and the inaction of the EU. He depicts the family drama of the Italians, the heroic efforts of the doctors and the fight for human life. A struggle that is still ongoing… Let us enter the tragedy of a great nation with great attention and concentration. May we be helped in this by listening to the words from the Italian national anthem”…Giuriamo far libero il suolo natio: uniti, per Dio…”.

„Let us vow to save our native land: united by God”.

A conversation with Maciej Rusinski, a Polish activist from New York, about the situation on 28 March 2020. How prepared are the authorities, what do people think, what is used to pay for treatment, what is the economic situation and what is the context of the crisis.

Maciej Rusinski is the coordinator of the Gazeta Polska Clubs for the United States and Canada and the president of the New York GP Club. Professionally, he is an analyst of investment strategy in government bond, interest rate and derivative markets; he is involved in the development of investment and fixed income markets at UBS bank, asset management of the General Motors Asset Management pension fund, interest rate instrument trading systems – Merrill Lynch (BofA).

Master’s degree in computer science and programming – Columbia University. Master’s degree in management and finance (MBA) – New York University.

Mr Kamil Basaj is a specialist in the fight against disinformation. In the interview we will find out what impact Russian disinformation has on our lives.

A conversation with Mr Senior Speaker Antoni Macierewicz – about the threats and opportunities the current situation presents. Because contrary to appearances, there are also some opportunities.

THE LATE GRANDCHILDREN OF HEROSTRATOS

Not only about trolling, the greatest anguish, today’s communication space, Prof Andrzej Zybertowicz is interviewed by Maciej Świrski.

Prof. Andrzej Zybertowicz is an advisor to President Andrzej Duda, a sociologist with an extraordinary insight into contemporary Poland. His term 'Anti-development Interest Groups’ has entered the canon of terminology describing the pathologies of the Third Republic of Poland.

The panellists discuss how the current epidemic Poland is experiencing will affect our future and whether it is possible to rebuild community.

This podcast should be listened to by anyone who feels a sense of contrariness. For this „leads in a straight line to mischievousness”, which is the basis for – mind you – trolling. And this dangerous phenomenon is one that the professor, with the passion typical of scientists of the highest order, takes a very close look at. And no wonder, because this „anguish of today’s communication space” can ruin the greatest plans for social cooperation. We also learn about the causes of trolling, and to this end, Maciej Świrski’s interlocutor reminds us of the infamous Ephesian shoemaker Herastrotes and the famous case of his complexes. Recommended, not only for those with deficits of being noticed….

Conversation of 21 March 2020.

The first episode of the podcast of the Polish League Against Defamation. Maciej Świrski, President of the Good Name Reduta, talks to MEP Ryszard Czarnecki about how Europe is/is not coping with the coronavirus and about historical politics.

During the interval, Jacek Kowalski sings the Song of the Battle of Grunwald.