Speaking ahead of Flag Day observances on May 2, Piotr Gliński said that "the occasion has already been celebrated for 19 years.”
He told regional broadcaster Radio Gdańsk last week that the celebration "reflects the fact that every community, every state, every society, must unite around shared values.”
According to Gliński, who is also Poland’s culture minister, “the national flag is the most popular unifying symbol.”
He stated: “The great importance of community cohesion can be seen clearly in the war in Ukraine. If Ukrainians weren’t patriotic about their nation, their culture, their state, they wouldn’t be sacrificing their lives and wouldn’t stand up to defend their country" against Russian aggression.
Gliński urged compatriots to “learn lessons from history” and “from what is happening around us.”
He said: ”It’s our shared responsibility and we need to look at things that unite us rather than those that divide us.”
#myflag
Meanwhile, various Polish government agencies and nongovernmental organisations have prepared a host of celebratory events to mark Flag Day on Tuesday, according to officials.
As every year, people of all ages and backgrounds at home and abroad have been encouraged to celebrate the occasion by flying Poland’s red-and-white flag in their homes, as part of the #mojaflaga (#myflag) campaign, reporters were told.
'Poland is a story worth sharing'
The annual initiative is promoted by a video featuring UK historian Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski, who pays tribute to Poland and its history, saying that “Polish people are amazing” and that “they managed to rebuild their state after years of divisions and the destruction of two world wars,” with the nation being “reborn as a community, again and again,” the Polish government said.
“Poland is a story worth sharing,” Butterwick-Pawlikowski says in the video.
Meanwhile, artists from the Polish Royal Opera will mark Flag Day by giving a special concert at Warsaw’s Royal Łazienki Park, according to officials.
The Polish government also plans to unveil a series of podcasts for compatriots abroad, officials said.
The Halo, Tu Niepodległa series will land on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts on May 2, which is also the Day of Poles Abroad, according to the Polish government.
Between May 1 and May 4, public broadcaster TVP will air a four-part documentary series based around Poland’s national anthem, Poland Is Not Yet Lost, entitled Pieśn Mocy. Kiedy My Żyjemy (A Song of Power. So Long As We Still Live), officials told reporters.
Celebrated annually on May 2 since 2004, Poland's Flag Day “commemorates the history of the Polish national colours, symbols and patriotic traditions,” the government said.
The celebration is also designed “to remind citizens about the need to respect the flag and other national symbols,” as well as “to build a sense of community and pride in being Polish,” according to officials.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, niepodlegla.gov.pl, Polish government