Sunday, November 19, 2017

If you want a sense of where Poland could be heading, look no further than the events last Saturday in Warsaw. Tens of thousands of people — many of them young men with crew cuts, but some parents with children, too — flocked to the Polish capital to celebrate Independence Day in a march organized in part by two neo-fascist organizations. They waved white and red Polish flags, they brandished burning torches, and they wore “white power” symbols. They carried banners declaring, “Death to enemies of the homeland,” and screamed, “Sieg Heil!” and “Ku Klux Klan!” The official slogan of the march was “We want God” — words from an old hymn that President Trump quoted during his speech in Warsaw in July. A dozen incredibly courageous women showed up to protest the march. After mixing with the marchers, they unraveled a long strip of cloth emblazoned with “Stop Fascism.” They were immediately attacked. Their banner was ripped apart. Marchers pushed some of the women to the ground and kicked others. Were these women exaggerating in calling the march fascist? Or are we in fact witnessing a resurgence of fascism in Poland? To steal a phrase: I believe the women. Continue reading the main story Race/Related Louisiana Man Freed After 45 Years as Conviction is Tossed Out NOV 17 Jay-Z: The Criminal Justice System Stalks Black People Like Meek Mill NOV 17 Ferdie Pacheco, ‘Fight Doctor’ for Muhammad Ali, Dies at 89 NOV 16 Review: ‘Mudbound’ Is a Racial Epic Tuned to Black Lives, and White Guilt NOV 16 East Ramapo School Elections Violate Voting Rights, Suit Claims NOV 16 See More » Though the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, condemned the march, saying Poland has no place for “sick nationalism,” the interior minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, called it “a beautiful sight.” He added: “We are proud that so many Poles have decided to take part in a celebration connected to the Independence Day holiday.” Given what transpired, this sounds shocking. But for those of us who follow Polish politics, the minister’s take didn’t come as a surprise.

Deputy foreign minister to speak at Chabad instead, laments 'silencing of Israeli democracy,' after students raise hackles over her hard-right views

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