The speech of the late president Lech Kaczyński, during the celebration of the Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day, made exactly a year ago.
On February 23, we celebrate the Polish-Hungarian Friendship day. On this occasion, exactly a year ago, on Feb. 26, the late president Lech Kaczyński, gave medals, to the families of the heroes: Henryk Sławik and József Antall, in the city of Katowice. In the times of meaningless, and shallow speeches, we would like to bring back, the one given by Lech Kaczyński, on this occasion:
Dear Mr. President, Your Excellency Archbishop, Mr. President, Members of Parliament, Mr. Rector, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Today, we have a very special celebration – what the President of the Republic of Hungary, just mentioned. I will repeat: It is the day of the hero, or rather the heroes of three nations – Polish, Hungarian and Jewish. It is the day of the man, who while being a civil servant, a highly positioned civil servant of his country, took risks for years, to help the citizens of a country, which as Mr. President said, was then, on the other side of the barricade. A barricade, on which, there was a deadly war raging. From the point of view of my nation, it was a fight for the survival of the nation as such; from the point of view of the Jewish nation, and I especially mean the nation of the Polish Jews, a battle for physical existence; from the point of view of the whole of Europe, a struggle not to become dominated by German Nazism.
This is what it looks like from our perspective. And this is what it will look like, which does not change the fact, that during that war, the country, which because of the Trianon treaty, had significantly changed its borders – these borders were stripped down to a large extent: there is a significant difference between the historical Hungary, and what remained after 1920, since this is where the treaty is from – that it was this country and its citizens, that were allies of Poles and the Polish Jews, to a large extent. The symbol of this exceptional alliance was József Antall senior. We have to remember that József Antall junior, who had also unfortunately passed away many years ago, was also the first prime minister of free Hungary, after 1989, so this high ranking official of many Hungarian ministries, is also the father of the man, who rebuilt the Hungarian democracy and independence.
But this Polish-Hungarian Friendship day, has also one more specific aspect. This aspect is the character of Henryk Sławik – the man who saved a thousand human lives, and among those, the ones who were mostly in danger: sentenced to death, just for belonging to a particular nation. It was not important whether it was a Polish or Hungarian Jew. It was enough that he was Jewish. Henryk Sławik, a Silesian, saved at least five thousand – some say it was nine and a half thousand, others claim it was fourteen thousand – mostly polish Jews. His merit can be compared to the merit of Irena Sendler, a recently deceased candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Still, here in our home country, he was largely forgotten. A participant in the Silesian uprisings, a deputy to the Silesian parliament, councilman of the Katowice city council, the man of the independence-oriented left wing… I would especially like to stress this: a man who, undoubtedly, was a socialist. He came from the left, but not the one which opposed Polish independence, not the one, which claimed that our borders ought to be radically diminished, that where we are now, which is Silesia, there ought to be changes made in favour of Germany, after the treaty of Versailles. There existed such a left wing in Poland and Henryk Sławik was its representative. He fought with the Germans in the Silesian uprisings that followed. He was also not an advocate of the regime, which seized Poland after 1926. Here he would also get into trouble, but he was an unbroken, Polish patriot, and a great man. His last words – we do not know for certain, whether they were spoken on the 24th or the 25th of august 1944 – they were the words “Poland still!”.
Probably: Poland is still not dead. And the words directed to a man he did not denunciate, in spite of the tortures, who was József Antall senior, were the words “This is how Poland thanks”. And this is why I decided to grant the highest Polish medal to Henryk Sławik – to this Pole, this Silesian. To Mr. Jozsef Antall senior, I give the highest Polish medal for foreigners. Medals will also be received by the people, who cooperated with Henryk Sławik and József Antall. Here, I would like to stress, that they were Hungarian clergymen, together with cardinal Serédi. These were their mutual activities, regarding children and adults, thousands of Jews among them. This is what Henryk Sławik died for, and this is what József Antall was going to die for as well. This demanded cooperation, and this cooperation was there. The time when these events took place, the kind not common, during the Second World War, was close to five years. It’s a long time. As long as Hungary, although fighting the war on the side, which we, in Poland, cannot call good, still remained an independent state. Later the German occupation came. And finally in autumn of 1944, the regent Horthy, who in a sense had to be the patron of what was happening in Hungary then, had to step down.
The power was seized by the Hungarian fascists. These were the last months of the Second World War. Soon, the Red Army entered Hungary, and took over the territory, after heavy fighting. A time of different enslavement began, which, in Hungary, was exceptionally brutal. It has to be made clear, that it was more brutal than in Poland. And it was not only because of the bloody suppression of the so called communist opposition, inside the party, and that the first of the many trials, happened in 1949 in Hungary. The most important aspect is the intensity of the repressions against the Hungarian citizens, against the Hungarian intelligentsia, which was simply horrendous. And this, maybe gave birth to the friendship of the 1950s and 60s. The revolution of 1956, which was the reaction to all of it, whose 50th anniversary, we celebrated just over 3 years ago, with Poland’s stance, different from the rest of the communist states, and many years of a strong bond later, especially among the youth. This was also connected to the fact, that the “Polish barrack” in this dismal camp, was relatively the merriest. Jazz, which connected many Poles and Hungarians, in those times, the access to a more or less independent theatre, in this respect, these were the years of our art’s greatness. All this created a certain quality, which also ought to be continued, after 1989. And this is what we are trying to do with Mr. President. But we are not the only power in Hungary and Poland. I hope, that in this respect, it will be better. It should be better, because there exists a rare tradition of mutual friendship between us – unbroken over the centuries, as Mr. President said. To conclude, once more I would like to state that this day is a day of the friendship of three nations, but also a day when we give homage to this part of Poland, which plays an exceptional part in it. It is somewhat individual, sometimes looked over, it is Silesia. Thank you very much.
Source: wpolityce.pl