In February 2016, a cover of one of the Polish social and political weeklies went viral. On the cover was a half-naked white woman wrapped in an EU flag, defending herself from male hands of a dark complexion. The caption read “Islamic rape of Europe.” Several international newspapers, such as the Washington Post and the Independent, called the cover shocking, highlighting stereotypes used by the graphic designer and relating them to racist images of Jews and blacks from the first half of the twentieth century.
The publication, wSieci, is a right-wing magazine and the fourth most popular weekly in Poland after the Catholic Gość Niedzielny and liberal Newsweek and Polityka.
The February 2016 cover was symptomatic of the radicalization of the Polish public debate during the months of the refugee crisis, when the subject of national identity was used as a pretext in the political and rhetorical battle.
That, combined with a populist and Euroskeptic shift in Poland, explains the particular way in which the refugee crisis became instrumentalized even though the debate about the crisis took place almost amid an absence of refugees.
Poland did not take up its quota of refugees under a system defined by the EU in which each member state would take in a certain number of asylum seekers commensurate with its size and other criteria. As for the Syrian refugees, they didn’t choose Poland as a destination.
Radical statements by many right-wing columnists have played a paradoxical role in their rhetorical struggle with a certain image of the EU and the West. A special stress was put on Germany, described as a country that promotes values alien to Polish culture and is opposed to other countries that prefer to preserve a certain homogeneity of their societies.
The columnists criticized the willingness of the former center-right Civic Platform government to welcome a small number of refugees as a “subordination to the dictates of the West” or “Berlin’s command.” One commentator even compared sharing the quotas, to which EU member states agreed on September 17, 2015, to the Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939.
The refugee crisis in the Polish right-wing press was often presented as an Islamic invasion of Europe. Notions such as “raid,” “conquest,” and “penetration” were also used. At the same time, Western Europe was described as a culture dominated by leftist influence, in which values like Christianity, tradition, and family had been forgotten.
One columnist wrote about a “leftist-genderist idiocracy and depravation of nations and societies,” another of “European ideological blindness.” Multiculturalism was presented as a strategy of devastating Christian culture and values, a “soft totalitarianism.”
Some commentators claimed that Poland was witnessing a war in which “Muslims will combat us, and not with terrorism, but with uteruses of their women.” Broad stereotypes about the whole variety of Muslim communities all over the world were used: “More Muslims means more rapes. If someone does not see this, he must be either blind or stupid,” one could read in the online publication Fronda. At the same time, refugees were presented as eager beneficiaries of the European welfare state. They were to perform “social jihad.”
The debate on the refugee crisis would perhaps not have been so tense if it were not for the political context. From 2014 to 2016, one could observe in Poland a deepening polarization of the public debate and the hostility of two main camps taking part in it: the conservative-national camp and the liberal camp.
There are several reasons for this.
One was the electoral cycle. In November 2014, local elections were held in Poland. Then, in May 2015 and October 2015 respectively, presidential and parliamentary elections took place in which the right-wing Law and Justice party was swept to power.
Then there were symbolic anniversaries. One was the fifth anniversary of the 2010 Smolensk air crash, in which Poland’s then president Lech Kaczyński and 95 other people were killed. The other was to mark a quarter century of Polish freedom and independence, which was celebrated in August 2014.
The subject of the refugee crisis, which was such an important political issue before the 2015 parliamentary election, has been mostly absent since Law and Justice took over the reins of government.
What do these phenomena mean for Poland’s attitude toward the European Union?
They are symptoms of a populist and Euroskeptic turn in Poland. Somehow, after a decade of a thriving Polish economy and of infrastructure being modernized thanks to EU funds, the EU is now being seen not as benefactor but as a mechanism of oppression.
But the Polish public debate also reveals other, wider crises. The highly romanticized image of the West is falling apart in other post-Communist countries, too. In addition, the Polish public debate is important because it’s a sign of a broader crisis of European solidarity. The refugee issue became a catalyst for nationalist egoism and a desperate search for identity—also in other European countries, Eastern as well as Western.
Karolina Wigura is an assistant professor at the University of Warsaw and the head of the political section of Kultura Liberalna.
Comments(8)
It was September 17, 1939!
Most of Europe does not have the historical experiences of Muslim invasions, and the constant battles with Islamic armies. Poland has fought Muslim invasions many times and shielded Europe. Anyone remember Vienna and the Turkish Invasion, and the Polish King JanIII Sobieski coming to the rescue of Vienna and Europe. Of course you don't. Poland is not Islamophobic. Tatar Muslims have been living in Poland since the 15th. century., and were never persecuted discriminated against. Their descendants to this day have the right to practice their religion, and their customs. But today, what most of Europe chooses to ignore, Eastern Europe, including Poland is very much aware.
Poor and incorrect title choice. Should be titled "Poland's anti islamic stance"
When will the EU solidarity with the citizens of V4 countries and other poor countries. Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland are just cheap labor. Slovakia makes economic genocide against his own people from the 1989th People earn € 2 an hour, clean min. wage is € 360 net, housing, apartment, house cost € 250-300. People make social suicide every day. 500 thousand. Slovaks are abroad, 500 thousand. Slovaks are Roma, which do not work. All EU funds were stolen. Give all the money to private sector are not state-owned enterprises. Funds for Roma were also plundered 370 million euros. consultancy, PC courses etc. Why stolen private sector? Why not create state companies for employment. Everything stolen private sectors linked to the political scene VAT is taken 8 billion and 6 billion annually selects the private sector, the VAT refunds. Why we do not have any VAT. IT'S theft from citizens. 60% of the population has an average wage or salary is € 360-500. We are the only colony of slaves European Union. And we poor countries have to be more empathetic and solidary? There will want migrant dose at 60 € or work for € 2 per hour and the payment of € 360 and € 300 rent? What you do is fake selective compassion. Who bombed their states why the migrants are going? It was the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary? We have historical experiences of Muslim invasions.
Social suicide are not many in the statistics. Kalinák- Slovakia are governed by all the police do business with the oligarchy as a whole government. All the jurisdiction and the police is politicized. 3.6 mil. people have execution and Slovakia has 5 million. citizens. People do not even have food and rent, medicines. They lie in the statistics and our average salary is 800 euros there. 70% of the population does not receive such a salary. Most have a maximum of 500 360 €. A rental costs € 250-300. people are fleeing abroad, commit social suicide. EU migrants to have money but not to poor countries. It is a selective social compassion. Instruct improve living standards. Automakers are paid just € 600 a German will get 3 thousand euros. Instruct create state-owned enterprises, cancel VAT. Instruct raise the minimum subsistence figure now is 60 euros. It is a lie that the subsistence minimum € 200. Nobody paid him. Only 60 €. Mothers are € 200 parental allowance. This is not normal. A 8 billion of VAT and 6 billion stolen. Cancel VAT. How can you ever think of such migrants in poor countries where people commit social suicide and fled abroad to work? Neither Catholic migrants with Syria did not want to live here. And they fled from Poland and the Czech Republic. We poor countries, desperation, crying, social suicide every day and flee abroad. and we have historical experience with the Muslim invasion, we are afraid. Finally understand?
God bless Poland. One of the few nations willing to defend themselves against this cultural suicide disguised as humanitarian efforts.
Real communist propaganda in these comments. One year ago Poland was on the top, and now "bolszewik" dictatorship is on. I remember when Stalin put his opposition in Syberian "laggers". Language was same, full of hate. I guess authors of these comments are living well on money from European Union given by communist governement.
Hate of foreigners especially with different color of skin in Poland has a very simple reason. Let’s take under consideration that Poland for many reasons was divided, occupied. There was many uprising, wars. For these reason the most educated men were killed, murdered. Finely during Second World War there were murdered by Russians in Katyn 20 OOO the best men and in Warsaw Uprising were killed by Germans200 000 of the rest of them, men and women. Also the most entrepreneurial men and women in quantity roughly speaking 10 million left Poland. These people were in the majority the bravest, brightest and most educated. So in Poland was left in majority not educated, coward peasants, afraid of everything and everyone strongly converted to catholic religion, what is multiplying the problem. Because catholic church in Poland also hate foreigners with diffract color of skin. It is simple like this.
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