Poland's shameful past (and present)

Sixty years ago today, in the Polish town of Kielce, 42 mostly Jewish people were killed by their neighbours, who had been whipped up into a frenzy by rumours that local Jews had been kidnapping and drinking the blood of their children.

Polish president Lech Kaczynski will be leading the commemoration; a fact which may surprise some, as his government is hardly renowned as a friend of minorities. Jews and homosexuals in particular, have not felt particularly comfortable in Poland of late – to such an extent that the EU issued a thinly veiled rebuke to Poland, in the form of a resolution encouraging states to combat homophobia and anti-Semitism.

This rebuke was aimed in particular towards the League of Polish Families, a partner in the current coalition government, one of whose members, a Wojciech Wierzejski, endorsed beating gays with batons if they committed the 'crime' of holding a tolerance parade.

Aside from the latently homosexual undertones of Wierzejski's statement, there is little to laugh about in this situation. Both Israel and the US have registered their unease at the anti-Semitic views of some members of the current coalition government; incidents like the assault on the country's chief Rabbi continue.

The debate about anti-Semitism in Poland continues to rage. However, the picture is not a totally bleak one. Even if the current government is made up of bigoted lunatics, previous Presidents have adopted a more conciliatory tone, and even the Pope thinks that Polish Catholics are a little too conservative.

Poland should be looking back on the event that today's anniversary marks with profound regret. After all, in the words of former Polish President Kwasniewski, "one cannot be proud of the glory of Polish history without feeling, at the same time, pain and shame for the evil done by Poles to others."