Speaking at a campaign event on Tuesday in the central Polish town of Jarocin, Trzaskowski condemned Nawrocki for failing to respond to Musk’s remarks at a rally of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
He called Nawrocki’s inaction “scandalous,” particularly as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Nawrocki, who is supported by Poland’s opposition right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party and currently serves as head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN)—a government body responsible for preserving Poland’s historical record—has not addressed Musk’s remarks, which have been seen by observers as encouragement of fascist policies.
Karol Nawrocki. Photo: PAP/Tytus Żmijewski
Trzaskowski, who is mayor of Warsaw and a deputy leader of the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, accused PiS politicians of lacking the courage to denounce Musk’s statements, arguing that their silence showed their "true priorities."
"Everyone on the right has buried their heads in the sand," Trzaskowski said.
"I don’t know why. Maybe they are afraid of Musk, afraid of criticism on X,” he added, referring to the media platform owned by Musk. "But that is now more important to them than bearing witness to our history, than remembering the dark chapters of European and German history."
During an online appearance at an AfD event on Saturday, Musk said he thought Germany was "too focused on past guilt."
"Children should not feel guilty for the sins of their fathers, let alone their great-grandparents,” Musk told the rally, and suggested that the AfD, an anti-immigrant, white supremacist party, was "the best hope for Germany."
In a nod to populist sentiments, Musk said it was “good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”
Trzaskowski said Nawrocki’s silence was unacceptable, particularly in the context of commemorations for the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi German death camp where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered during the Holocaust.
“A man who was once the director of the Museum of the Second World War and is now the head of the Institute of National Remembrance does not react to shameful statements about our country’s history,” Trzaskowski said.
He added: “We hear Elon Musk telling people to forget history, to abandon guilt. At this moment, he is becoming a guru for certain far-right and populist circles, advising his German colleagues to forget their guilt. This is absolutely outrageous."
“We must remind the world of our historical experiences so that evil never repeats itself,” Trzaskowski also said. “We must talk about what happened in Germany, about what Germany did in Poland. Without that, reconciliation is impossible.”
Poland’s presidential election will take place on May 18. If no contender wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held two weeks later.
Conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, who has been president since 2015, is ineligible to seek a third term under election rules. His second term in office ends on August 6.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, TVP Info