"Vołyń na Powązki" – patriotic communities search to commemorate the victims of Ukrainian nationalists

For respective years now, as part of the social initiative “Vołyń na Powązki”, we have been striving for our national necropolis to have a symbolic commemoration of victims of genocide in Volyn and east Małopolska – recalled Paweł Zdziarski, president of the Association “Community and Memory”. He stressed that this task was not linked to any political group. He informed about the writings that went to the president of the capital and to Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska, president of the Warsaw City Council.

The speech was somewhat provoked by the announcement of the president of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski. He promised to organize on the most celebrated capital necropolis burials of victims of Ukrainian genocide, carried out on Poles surviving in Kresa II of the Republic.

– We believe that the announcement of Rafał Trzaskowski does not contradict our project, on the contrary – 1 comes from another. The writing, as well as our another actions, supports very widely social, end, patriotic and combatant organizations. Dr. Leon Popek, the unquestioned authority in the issue of exhumation in Volyn, frequently emphasizes how long this process is, even erstwhile it comes to the tiny number of remains murdered in Volyn. If we add to this the process of bringing these remains to Warsaw, if we add dependence on the good will of the Ukrainian side, and with this, to put it mildly, sometimes different, it turns out that this process can truly be spread over the years – stressed president Zdziarski.

The Patriots focused on the initiative “Vołyń na Pązki” propose in this situation that a memorial place with the Volyn Cross be created immediately on this necropolis. Under it, the land would be brought from the places of execution of Poles bestially killed in the Borders of the South-East II Republic.

As the participants emphasize, the burials of a tiny number of known victims do not argue with the presence in the same cemetery of symbolic commemoration of all victims. akin places are already located on Powązki. They are devoted to the memory of the Germans murdered in extermination camps or by Germans and Lithuanians in Ponaras, Siberians, who died in both planet wars or during the war with Bolsheviks.

– We frequently forget, but Warsaw truly is full of people who have end roots. These are the people who have lived here for years, who would like a place like this. erstwhile they learned that we wanted to build specified a place on the Military Doves, they said with emotion in their eyes that at last on All Saints, for Christmas, for Easter, on many another occasions they would be able to light a niche, put flowers, pray at the symbolic tomb of their loved ones. It is very crucial for them, it is very crucial for us, due to the fact that for them the initiative “Volyn for Powązki” was created. said Paweł Zdziarski.

The initiators search the approval of the Warsaw authorities to place the monument, while they do not search funds from the municipal register.

Dr. Michał Siekierka, Vice-President of the Association for the Memory of Victims of Ukrainian Nationalists, stressed that a letter of intent on social action was supported by many people. – People with very different experiences signed, very different ways of life and very different political views. We have people on both the left and right sides of the political scene. We're asking you not to treat this as an action against anyone. It is simply a pro-social action, uniting everyone around the memory issues – He said.

The talker besides recalled that they were created in front of 10 cages located at Gdańsk Street Skwer Wołyński is located in a very poorly frequented place. The opponents of its uprising, on the another hand, raised the same arguments as present put forward by the contestors of the Volyn for Powązki initiative: among another things, about Ukraine signing an accession agreement with the European Union soon.

“Consent to put a modest monument in Powązki, on the National Metropolitany would be primarily a human motion towards the victims – stressed Ewa Czaszko, curator of the National Memory of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who studied the subject of genocide in Volyn for many years. – And besides a human motion towards the broad thing of people, in which the road is the memory of our past She added.

Mr Tadeusz Samborski, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Group for the Borders of the Republic of Poland, pointed out the importance of commemorating victims of genocide. – This is simply a substance of state weight, due to the fact that it is how we celebrate our countrymen murdered cruelly in the Eastlands that will attest to the seriousness of our state and its dignity – he noted.

– I hope that as many Poles will learn about this initiative and I besides hope that this voice will scope the decision-makers, the Warsaw authorities said Paweł Zdziarski. – Many people besides ask us what this monument is to be. Truly, as far as the final form is concerned, we are open to any discussion, in order to preserve the historical truth, as long as it is present, as long as this monument presents the fact and dignity of the victims – he emphasized.

Initiators of the “Volyn for Powązki” action want to participate in possible public consultations on commemoration. They besides encourage the families of the victims, the descendants of the exterminators, the end communities and the patriotic communities to express their views on the matter.

Source: Volyn for Powązki initiative

RoM