Latest news with #ConfederationParty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Watch: Polish Lawmaker Rips Down Pride Display Inside Parliament
A Polish member of the European Parliament was banned from the Polish Parliament building Tuesday after tearing down an LGBTQ-themed display inside the chamber. Grzegorz Braun, a member of Poland's right-wing Confederation Party, was seen on video ripping down banners and removing materials from an LGBTQ exhibition. The footage, originally posted by the account @ImMeme0, quickly went viral on X, prompting backlash from progressive lawmakers and media outlets across Europe. Polish state broadcaster TVP World reported that Braun was immediately removed from the building and barred from returning. Legal consequences are reportedly under review. The incident follows a similar episode earlier this year, when Braun allegedly destroyed another LGBTQ display in the city of Opole, according to Notes from Poland. In both cases, Braun has characterized his actions as opposition to what he describes as the forced promotion of ideology in public institutions. Supporters online praised the move as a defense of Polish cultural values, while critics accused Braun of intolerance and extremism. The exhibition had been set up to mark 'Pride Month,' which continues to spark political and cultural divisions across Europe. In Poland, where Catholic traditions remain deeply embedded in public life, LGBTQ activism has frequently clashed with more conservative social norms. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's liberal coalition has aligned itself with EU-backed diversity and inclusion initiatives, a shift that some nationalist politicians argue undermines Poland's sovereignty and identity.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speaker of Polish Sejm supports Zelenskyy after White House row
Szymon Hołownia, Speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, has defended the President of Ukraine and rebuked Donald Trump after the two leaders had a public spat in the Oval Office. Source: Hołownia posted a statement on his Facebook page on the evening of 1 March, adding a photo of himself and Zelenskyy. Details: Hołownia began his post with a parallel: when someone runs to help a drowning person, they don't expect to be rewarded with a kiss. Similarly, if they come to the rescue of someone who has been mugged on the street, they don't check to see whether there is anything valuable still in their pockets to take for themselves, because they expect humane treatment if they themselves are ever in need. Hołownia said the recent events in relations with the United States do not represent the "end of the relationship", but rather the end of illusions. "The world where it was all about 'your freedom and ours', the world of Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama – it's gone. We clearly have different values from the current US administration," Hołownia said. The speaker went on to say that in the future, it is still worth taking care of cooperation with the United States as much as possible, but that "it is short-sighted to expect love where there can only be business". "This is what they want, and they have said it out loud: they will ONLY take care of themselves. Okay, we accept that. The 'chemistry' is gone... It happens in relationships. You need to let it go, not take revenge, not assign blame, but take care of yourself," Hołownia joked. "After what happened yesterday, Poland must redouble its efforts to develop the defence industry and switch to clean electricity twice as efficiently. We have to wake up Europe, which is still sleeping. Do your own thing for yourself, and don't let go of your values. Support Ukraine. Be an intermediary. Build connections. Raise awareness," Hołownia urged. He also criticised the politicians from Poland's anti-Ukrainian Confederation Party who were delighted to see Zelenskyy humiliated in the White House. "We must stand by our values. Decency is the Polish meaning of existence today. And Poland is a great country of proud people. And it will come out of all this stronger unless it betrays itself," Hołownia concluded. Background: European leaders and the EU leadership have rallied round to support Ukraine since the spat between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office. Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, however, has tweeted his support for US President Donald Trump and vowed to block an EU summit statement in support of Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Russia Today
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Polish MP claims life threatened over criticism of Ukrainian Nazi collaborator
Polish MP Slawomir Mentzen has accused Ukrainian journalist Vakhtang Kipiani of publicly threatening his life for criticizing Ukraine's obsession with World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera. Earlier this week, Mentzen, who is a candidate in the upcoming Polish presidential elections in May representing the right-wing Confederation Party, had traveled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv where he recorded a video in front of a monument to Bandera. In the clip, he likened Bandera to a 'terrorist,' recalling that the Nazi collaborator had been sentenced to death by a Polish court for being responsible for the murder of some 100,000 Poles. The video also suggested that having monuments honoring Bander was akin to building monuments commemorating Adolf Hitler. 'Ukraine must abandon the cult of Bandera as soon as possible,' Mentzen urged. In response to the video, Kipiani issued a post on Facebook ridiculing Mentzen for criticizing Bandera and suggesting that the Polish MP was 'dreaming of the glory of Pieracki,' referring to the minister of internal affairs of interwar Poland, Bronislaw Pieracki, was murdered in 1934 by members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), of which Bandera was a part of. 'We can do it again,' Kipiani wrote. Mentzen fired back at the Ukrainian journalist, accusing him of threatening to kill a Polish MP. 'Ukrainians once again show their attitude towards Poland,' Mentzen wrote on Facebook, suggesting that Kiev only wants money from Poland while it continues to honor the murderers of Poles. The lawmaker's Confederation Party also condemned Kipiani's death threat, adding in a statement on social media that it had found out that the Ukrainian journalist's website, which 'glorifies the UPA and is a mouthpiece for nationalist Ukrainian propaganda,' had been co-funded by the Polish government. Both Mentzen and his party have now called on the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the situation to prevent further attacks by Ukrainians on Poland and its citizens. Bandera, a member of the OUN militant wing, was one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War II. The group allied with the invading Nazi Germans and carried out massacres of Poles, Jews, Russians, and Ukrainians whom they accused of collaborating with the Soviets. Despite the group being accused of committing genocide, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko declared Bandera and the UPA national heroes in 2010. The Polish government has taken particular issue with the celebration of Bandera in Ukraine, as the UPA is believed to have murdered between 40,000 and 120,000 ethnic Poles in the regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
