running the camps at the time Poland was a hotbed of antisemitism. Many Poles enthusiastically applauded as their Jewish neighbors were rounded up and 'resettled'.

Most, if not all, European countries were anti-Semitic. Some, such as France, actively assisted the Nazi's in rounding up and deporting Jews to the camps.

were built. Those people knew what was going on and didn't care. You can see many of them interviewed admitting that in the movie Shoah (it's a 9 hour documentary that is seen in two parts). But you're right - much of Europe handed their Jews to the nazis on silver platters.

France, for example, is not

They are not outlawing discussing anti-Semitism, not is it illegal to discuss the Nazi camps that were located in Poland.

Calling the camps "Polish death camps" implies the camps were built and operated by Poles, as a poster below seems to believe.

FWIW, Israel and many Jewish groups oppose calling them Polish death camps as it shifts blame away from the Nazis who actually ran the camps and committed the atrocities.

That is oulawing a statement of fact.

Since when is defaming the country considered a criminal act in any free society?

I do not support outlawing any words, I am very Pro free speech

I do oppose the use of the term Polish death camps as it is a twisting of the facts. It is merely another form of Holocaust denial, trying to spread the blame to those who were more victims than anything else.

I believe the action of the Polish government is going too far but I will definitely argue against those who imply or openly State the responsibility of the Holocaust lies anywhere except upon the Nazis.

You are incorrect. "German death camps built and operated in Poland" is accurate, despite that it may not advance a biased narrative.

Think rationally.

I mean, I could technically call slaves "immigrant labor" as textbooks have tried to do to whitewash slavery from history, but that wouldn't make the "facts" they were labor brought from overseas overshadow the larger fact they were brought unwillingly and forced to work.

Neither does the "fact" that many of the death camps were located in Poland overshadow that it was the Nazis who built them.

"Nazi Death Camps in Poland" is a far more accurate description.

Well, because. Unfortunately, what happened was people being people, not Poles being Polish. Understanding how a lot of people in every country could become mass murderers on order, is important to make sure that it won't happen anywhere even if it could.

Studying how this could happened taught us about people especially vulnerable in every nation. When Donald Trump said he could murder someone on the street and his followers would support him, he wasn't completely wrong. Some would because he's their leader. More, some would follow orders to murder others with very little notice--if they came from a leader they had chosen.

My mom taught English in Warsaw shortly before the Nazis invaded, and she spoke often of the antisemitism she saw there.

It's an easy slip of the tongue for outsiders, because the death camps were in fact located in Poland (even though they were run by the Nazis.)

Oczywiście !! Death camps located in Poland should be referred to as Hungarian death camps. Everyone knows that.

Half? their country participated in 'ethnic' cleansing. Change of government, change of Polands borders unrest continued to about late 1980s? Still a very poor fragile country and IMO a prime target of the "putin-country buster gang"

People need to face their history to heal. A truthful history shared with their young people could prevent history from repeating itself.

Auschwitz, Chelmno, Treblinka and the others were operated by the Polish people?

took over the real estate, stood around and watched.

Of this fantasy you have. You extremely ignorant of the Holocaust.

Poles were not legally allowed to loot or take over Jewish property. As Slavs they were classed as subhuman in the Nazi regime. The Nazis plan for the Polish people was to exterminate 85% of them keeping 15% as slave labor.

This is not to say that there were no Poles who assisted willingly in persecuting Jew's. The "Blue Police" are a notable example. It is notable however in that Poland is unique of all the countries the Germans occupied. Every single one saw their governmentment actively and willingly assist the Nazis in rounding up Jews. In Poland the Germans directly administered anti-jewish activities. Even the blue police comprised mainly of Poles operated under German officers. Also of all the occupied countries, and several that were not occupied but had people travel to Germany, Poland was the only country to not see a unit formed of SS volunteers.

After Jews the greatest number of people executed in the camps were ethnic Poles; over 3 million we're murdered in the camps. Despite anti-Semitism in pre-war Poland, which is a fact I have never seen anyone dispute, Isreal recognises more Poles on the Righteous Among Nations list than any other nationality.

You might want to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website https://www.ushmm.org

Were moved into the annexed Polish territories. The Poles who live there whether Jewish or not were relocated as part of lebensraum.

That is not to say that there was suddenly no anti-semitism in a country that was extremely anti-semitic during the interwar years however to claim that half the country actively participated in operating the camps is simply not supported by historical records.

The Polish government may be trying to deny how much Poles did participate in anti-semitic activities but changing history to make Poland co-authors of the Holocaust with the Nazis is neither just nor true

Jewish population of Poland. Extermination. If only the World Bank refused to turn over the wealth of entire countries to the nazis, hitler may not have had the money to progress his war.

Even today, some countries have more 'control' over bank funds of some other countries. Some local small governments are more bigoted than other local small governments. Education is the key, we all have to know all the facts, face the facts so history doesn't repeat again & again.

I've been to the museums, wish there were more of them and visits/programs for all school children. In America too, another 'pogrom' desperately needing more exposure & realistic factual education is what really happened to Native Americans.

Thank you for posting, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum link https://www.ushmm.org/

p/s I read museums press releases and started a DU breaking news story from today's (Jan 30th) release. Better 'reporting' from this museum than our current Republican controlled government.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141974995

Of mine since watching the series in the 70s as a school assignment.

Sadly the actions of the Nazis are not an isolated case but just a point on a continuum. Genocide has happened, and continues to happen, in many countries throughout history.

Glad you found the link interesting

Nearly 20% of the non-Jewish population of Poland was sent to the Nazi death camps. The first information about the genocide was brought to the out side world by the Polish resistance. Poles actively worked with the Jews to resist both in the death camps and in the ghettos. Despite the Nazi wiping out the Polish Jewish population (because of the Nazi and the Soviets, Poland is the most racially homogeneous country in Europe), the country has maintained many of the nations Synagogues. In addition Jewish landmarks and cemeteries have been maintained by the state. The Jewish population has gradually been increasing over the years. Of all the countries occupied by the Nazi, Poland is the only one that did not have a collaborationist government. The Poles fought on every European front during WWII, having more troops fighting than anyone other than Britain, Soviet Union, and the United States. In the end Poland is the country that lost the war. A third of its population killed, its borders altered to the benefit of the Soviet Union and its country occupied by a foreign power for nearly 50 years.

why Poland is the only European country that has a favorable opinion of Trump

From Timothy Snyder's book Black Earth: I was surprised to learn Poland had one of the largest Jewish populations prior to WW II. Jews were being forced westward from the Russian Empire prior to WWI when they had previously been welcomed from other parts of Europe centuries earlier. I also did not know Poland, which was set up as an independent country after WW I, had fought a war with Soviet Russia (and won) in the early 1930s. Unfortunately for Poland, they were caught between the Soviet Union and Germany. Their policy of neutrality between these belligerent states made them seek alliances with France and England to protect themselves (to no avail). Hitler tried numerous times to sign treaties with the Polish government prior to 1939. Anyone who has read Mein Kampf knows damn well who the enemy of Nazi Germany was (the communists/Soviet Union). In the end Hitler and Stalin came to an understanding that would spit Poland between them; the Nazis would kill Jews and other Government/Military high ups and the Soviets would do the same (Jewish/Bourgeoisie property being more desired than any racial theory espoused by the Nazis). What I also did not know is the Polish government was secretly training Jewish elements in military tactics to at some point have them exported to English Palestine to start a revolution and form a Jewish home state in hopes that they could entice Polish Jews to migrate to Palestine at some future date. Menachem Begin was one of their trainees. Most of these people would go east into Russia after the Nazis invaded and then eventually make their way to Palestine.

Not to say pre WWII Europe wasn't full of Anti Semitism because it was. The Nazi strain was certainly the most sinister. What was going on in other parts of eastern Europe may have been less so but it still contributed to massive killings of large jewish populations with nearly 100% removal from certain Eastern European countries. There were over 3 millions Jews in Poland before WWII versus several hundred thousand afterwards meaning approximately 3 million Polish Jews died during WWII.

I highly recommend reading Black Earth but be forewarned its a difficult read.