Polish president at Westerplatte: remembrance of 1 September demands truth and responsibility

Sirens at 4:45 am by the Monument to the Coast Defenders

The ceremonies at the Monument to the Coast Defenders opened with the sound of air-raid sirens, followed by a staged roar of gunfire and flares symbolising incoming shells. Those gathered sang the national anthem, the Polish flag was raised, and the Peace Torch was lit by a cadet of the Polish Naval Academy. After the roll call of remembrance, the military fired a 12-gun salute. Earlier, a wreath inscribed From the Nation had been laid at the Cemetery of Polish Army Soldiers at Westerplatte.

The ceremonies were attended by President Karol Nawrocki, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as well as the Chief of the General Staff, General Wiesław Kukuła, the Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, veterans, soldiers, scouts and residents of the Tricity.

Truth has its symbols

The president devoted the first part of his address to memory and responsibility for history. He stressed that Westerplatte is for Poles the most important symbol of that war, a symbol of struggle, while Wieluń, bombed the same morning, remains a symbol of suffering, and he recalled the hecatomb of the Polish nation under German and Soviet occupation.

– Remembrance of 1 September demands truth and responsibility from us, and truth has its symbols, it has its facts, truth also has its signs – said Karol Nawrocki.

An appeal for reparations

The strongest element of the speech was an appeal addressed directly to Berlin. The president said that the truth about the Second World War is little known in Germany and problematic also for those in power, and that the German capital still lacks a monument to the Polish victims of the war. Successive German governments have long maintained that the issue of reparations is legally closed.

– I appeal from here, from Westerplatte, to the German chancellor and the German nation - let us settle the matter of reparations and compensation – said Karol Nawrocki.

The president argued that the payment of reparations is not merely a question of settling the past.

– Not only for historical justice, but also for the future. So that we do not have to take Western loans, so that we receive what we are owed. Today these reparations can serve security. Let us be together in this task. I ask the Polish government for support in seeking reparations. This is an appeal that flows from Westerplatte – said Karol Nawrocki.

The president indicated that the funds obtained from Germany should go to the Polish Armed Forces and the domestic defence industry. From the stage he also turned directly to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, asking for joint, cross-party action on reparations.

The prime minister and the defence minister also spoke

Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke about unity above divisions, recalling that the defenders of Westerplatte had one uniform and one order, and about the limit of political dispute beyond which it stops being a dispute and becomes a gift to those who wish Poland ill. He also warned against the consequences of concessions to Russia and said that the coming months, this autumn and winter, may prove decisive for the independence of Ukraine, but also for the security of Poland and the entire free world. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed in turn that courage cannot be the only equipment of a Polish soldier - we cover his address in a separate article. The Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz also took the floor, reminding those gathered that war knows neither sex nor age.