History /
Poles should apologise to Ukrainians first [487]
Today Poland needs a similar gesture concerning Ukraine.
I agree with the thesis of this thread, but for practical and national interest reasons.
Kania and Konfaside are reacting from a romantic, stubborn, polish nature, problem is Ukrainians are the same, so there will be deadlock until someone takes to first step to dance. The history that Pawian details happened first, so Poland should be the first to show regret/apologise. The Volyhn and other genocide was the most recent and the most atrocious, so Ukraine should be the last to apologise but their contrition should be expressed in the strongest possible terms.
In Zelensky polish speech commemorating our Independence Day, he called Poland our big sister, and that's what we are. A big sister apologises first, instead of bullying the smarkac brother to say sorry.
Poland is the stronger, therefore it is our duty and privilege to apologise first, that's all we have to do. They have to apologise, acknowledge the genocide, dig up mass graves with tens of thousands of dead, bury them, change their whole educational curriculum, destroy the reputation of the actual leaders that ordered the massacres. A very hard task, but helped by the fact that Poland holds the whip hand in accession to the EU. I don't care about Bandera, who was in prison at the time, they can keep him but the actual people who were involved need to be splattered with historical contempt.
Why is this more important than apology to turks/czechs etc?
Because Ukraine holds the key to the emergence of Poland as a major power in Europe, as germany was the patron state for Poland in the EU, and benefited greatly from it, so we too will be for Ukraine, but in a more brotherly, less condescending manner. The fact that there is a shared history of the Polish-Lithuanian-Ukraninian-Belarusian Commonwealth helps. At Davos last year the Ukrainians were claiming the constitution and multi-ethnic/cultural nature of the commonwealth as for themselves as well, that's a great sign of accepting the positive aspects of our shared glorious history.
The reconciliation process should be driven forward by the religious class and then handed over to the political class.
