Today marks Ukraine’s Independence Day. To commemorate the occasion, the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) organized a demonstration in Bydgoszcz entitled “Don’t Be Indifferent,” intended as a response to a wave of aggressive behavior towards Ukrainians living in Poland. It was a joint Polish-Ukrainian demonstration.
The idea for organizing the event emerged before the widely publicized incident on August 14, when two Ukrainian children were assaulted in Bydgoszcz. The demonstration nevertheless served as a response to the incident, taking the form of a joint expression of opposition to aggression.
Bydgoszcz Mayor Rafał Bruski recalled a scene he witnessed four years ago at the Zawisza Stadium: “The image is of a mother with three children and a single plastic bag. And that is all she took with her when she left her home, which, by the time she arrived in Bydgoszcz, no longer existed.”
In Bruski’s view, this image provides the best answer to doubts about whether Poland should continue helping Ukrainians. The mayor of Bydgoszcz called on politicians and historians to settle Polish-Ukrainian history as quickly as possible, so that it cannot be exploited for current political purposes: “An appeal to politicians on both sides: the worst thing that can happen is unresolved history, because then that history becomes a tool in the current political struggle. We need, as soon as possible, for both sides to say what was good and what was bad. What was bad should be condemned and apologized for. That is the role of both politicians and historians.”
Mayor Bruski recalled that Poland had difficult relations with Germany, but that today the two countries are able to coexist: “We suffered far more harm at the hands of the Germans. We know and remember that, but at the same time, by looking westward and through dialogue and the words ‘I’m sorry,’ which were spoken many times, we have managed to put those negative emotions aside.”
Around 200 people took part in the event.
Od 2009 roku związany z lokalnymi mediami. Specjalizuje się w tematach dotyczących infrastruktury, polityki regionalnej oraz funkcjonowaniu samorządów.
