On Wednesday, the TVN24 television outlet ran a broadcast with, among other participants, Barbara Engelking, a Holocaust researcher, who said that some Poles could have helped the Jews more, but instead attempted to profit from their tragedy.
"The Poles had the potential to ally themselves with the Jews, and there were hopes that they would do so, that they would remain neutral and friendly and not try to exploit the situation to such an extent, that there would not be so much extortion,” Engelking was quoted as saying by the Polish news agency PAP.
In response, a spokesman for Poland's ruling coalition member, the United Poland party, Jacek Ozdoba, on Friday called the statements "an attack on Polishness and an attack on truth," and requested that the country’s broadcasting watchdog punish the private station.
“We cannot allow history to be lied about," he said.
Earlier on Friday, the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) announced that an inquiry had been initiated into the interview.
The Polish Center for Holocaust Research, an academic center at the Polish Academy of Sciences, which is headed by Engelking, has issued a statement in defence of its director.
“Once again, we are deeply concerned dealing with a situation where government and other public officials make comments on scientific findings resulting from years of research and analysis,” the statement reads.
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Source: PAP
