Poland Report by US Congressional Research is of concern to me as Head of the Polish Media Issues Group (PMI) with 2,600 Members on the Facebook group. PMI since 2005 has been finding and correcting media errors and misinformation in international media.
While your reading of this Report will doubtless find some red-flag issues that are of particular worry for your own areas of operation, here are the ones that I find most disturbing. My general conclusion is that a person or persons of non-conservative viewpoint/s has/have written this Report (perhaps not surprising under the Biden Administration). Specifically, some of my concerns are as follows:
- In the introduction/summary, under Domestic Political Situation (Page 2): “The center-right Civic Platform (PO) is the largest opposition party.” How many competent observers could describe PO as “center-right” smacks of ignorance or of intentional ideological misrepresentation; PO in Poland is decidedly Center Left. PO may like to paint itself as “Right”, but that is totally incorrect, especially with Donald Tusk as its leader. I would strongly suggest that you would educate your Congressional contacts accordingly.
- In the same section: “Law and Justice has made changes to the country’s judicial system and enacted other reforms that have generated concerns about democratic backsliding and caused tensions between Poland and the EU ” (emphasis mine). This use of the term “democratic backsliding” is straight from the EU and the leftist/liberal/Marxist political media in Poland (and the USA mainstream media). Now, I recognize that this mischaracterization of the Polish government’s painstaking and earnest efforts to rid the country of the corrupt and criminal legacy of communist rump in the Polish judiciary – but the Congressional aides and elected members will just swallow these lies as if they are gospel truths. PLEASE try to have amendments made to this Report as soon as possible.
- Refugee Support (Page 7) – “As of February 21, 2023, more than 1.56 million refugees from Ukraine had registered for temporary protection in Poland since February 2022, the largest number of Ukrainian refugees received by any country.7” My recollection is that far more than 1.56 million Ukrainians have registered for protection in Poland, and these refugees have been arriving in Poland since 2014, not just from 2021. About 9 million Ukrainian refugees crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Again, PLEASE inform the Congress of these Facts. I also don’t trust the UNHCR to report the most favorable figures about Poland, for political reasons. Please don’t let them get away with it.
- Political Situation (Page 8): “Civic Coalition, a centrist electoral alliance of parties led by the center-right Civic Platform (PO) party, …” Another misleading statement about the political persuasion of the PO party; this depiction of PO as center-right is utterly incorrect, but useful for them in trying to appear a “non-communist”, when in fact their background is very well known. Please educate the Congress about the true nature of PO, and especially of Tusk’s diabolical treatment of the 2010 airplane crash (sabotage assassination), his betrayal of Poland via the EU, and Sikorski’s last-minute decision to not be on that April 2010 flight.
- Controversial Reforms (pages 11-12) “Multiple democracy indexes have registered declines in the quality of democracy in Poland. The Nations in Transit 2022 report published by the non-governmental organization Freedom House, measuring the quality of democratic governance in 29 countries in Europe and Eurasia, downgraded Poland’s score for the eighth consecutive year due to concerns about democratic backsliding” (emphasis mine). This is more detail on the unacceptable indexing done by left-liberal NGO’s masquerading as “independent”. The Congress and its departments and aides/staff must not continue to be spoon-fed the anti-Polish, an un-true narrative about Poland’s “democratic backsliding”. This totally incorrect image of Poland will do Poland’s diplomatic staff and government ministers no good in dealing with the USA Congress and departments. PLEASE counter this intentional misinformation with suitably informative Facts.
When you have the opportunity, please read the Report in full, and act promptly to counter the lies and misrepresentations in this Report.
Dan Zamoyski
Head
Polish Media Issues
Poland: Background and U.S. Relations
Updated March 6, 2023
Updated March 6, 2023
