crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
Wojciech Roszkowski
Notes on the open issue of united European history
1.
I would like to thank Commissioner Frattini and the organizers of this hearing for this initiative
that goes in line with the expectations of many Members of the European Parliament. We have even
initiated a working group on “United Europe – United History” aiming at the broadening of the
European historical perspective after the recent enlargements of the European Union. You can find
more information on this group in the document that we have distributed here.
There is much talk of our common European identity these days. But the representatives of
the new member countries very often encounter ignorance about the East European experience with
communism and the unwillingness of some to learn about this experience. Common identity requires
at least an attempt to learn about each other. How can there be a common identity when in many
countries and in many a political milieu, the truth about communist totalitarian crimes is ignored and
the history of East Central Europe is distorted? When the contemporary Russian government denies that
on 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union committed an unprovoked act of aggression against Poland,
violating four international agreements of which Moscow was a signatory, nobody even knows these
events. Why do we so often hear about the “Polish concentration camp” of Auschwitz and never hear
about the German concentration camp of Dachau or the Austrian concentration camp of Mauthausen?
Why did the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter claim that the Katyn Forest Massacre was committed by
the Nazis, when there is no doubt whatsoever that the Polish officers were killed by the Soviet NKVD?
Are these manifestations of “our common European identity”?
There can be no understanding and no trust between nations without a minimum loyalty to truth
and justice. The way we treat history is a direct manifestation of our credibility.
I hope this hearing will be a beginning and not the end of the educational and legal works of
European institutions on the totalitarian legacy, both Nazi and Communist. The idea to celebrate the
Day of Remembrance of the Nazi and Communist Totalitarian Crimes on 23 August, the anniversary of
the ill-famed Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939 deserves full support. The future of this initiative may be one
proof of the will of united Europe to deal with its past.
2.
Just two brief comments on what was said before. First, regarding the struggles of West European
Communist Parties for democracy. Democratic communism never existed. There were Communist
parties in Western Europe that were allowed to exist, taking benefit from Western democracy. But
whether they would maintain democracy after winning an election is an open question. What we know,
however, is that these parties openly supported the Soviet Union during the Cold War, whitewashing
Soviet crimes. Let me remind you that in 1939, all Communist parties of Western Europe supported
the Hitler-Stalin Pact and that in 1948, Mr Thorez and Mr Togliatti claimed that in case of war with the
Soviets, true Communists should side with the invaders. So contemporary Western Communist parties
have no grounds to teach us democracy.
Second, as to the European Cultural Foundation: I hope its proceedings are based on basic cultural
values, on truth and justice. What else can it be based on? But we have a problem with the Charter of
Fundamental Rights, and especially with its Article 21, which forbids discrimination of “political and
any other opinion”. Should we then tolerate lies?
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