In Poland, where criticising Israel remains taboo, Gaza solidarity rises

Warsaw, Poland – In an effort to raise consciousness astir nan abuse and humiliation suffered by Palestinians who person been arrested and tortured by Israeli troops, Igor Dobrowolski, a Polish creator and capacity artist, dressed up successful a purple wide successful March and placed a yellowish sack complete his head.

In a video of nan capacity posted to Instagram, he is seen kneeling connected a actual floor, his hands zip-tied down his back. A personification beside him successful khaki greenish playing nan domiciled of an Israeli worker holds up a instrumentality pinch laughing emojis – a motion to nan grounds that galore are livestreaming imaginable warfare crimes connected societal media.

Dobrowolski is seen urinating successful fear, conscionable arsenic Palestinian prisoners did successful footage posted earlier by Israeli troops, during which 1 is heard mockingly saying, “Oh no, what happened? He peed himself.”

Those words echo complete nan capacity by Dobrowolski, who has dedicated his creation this past twelvemonth to nan taxable of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians successful Gaza – nary easy task successful a state still grappling pinch its Holocaust history.

“When you watch films astir nan Holocaust connected TV, they are very serious, nan perpetrators are shown arsenic devoid of emotions. But nan genocide which is happening coming seems very funny to nan perpetrators,” said Dobrowolski, referring to nan videos uploaded by Israeli soldiers. “I decided to kneel successful nan mediate of each that.”

During nan Holocaust, much than 3 cardinal Jews were killed successful Nazi-occupied Poland, and thousands died successful pogroms committed by section Poles. Because of nan tragic memories, criticising Israel remains taboo.

Before World War II, 10 percent of nan Polish organization was Jewish, nan highest number successful Europe. After nan Holocaust, fewer Jews remained successful nan country, and galore of those who stayed fell unfortunate to nan 1968 communist purges.

Following nan illness of communism, Poland has maintained negotiated relations pinch some Israel and Palestine. While it has not been actively progressive successful resolving nan historical crisis, it supports nan thought of a two-state solution.

According to an IBRIS agency canvass past May, much than 66 percent of Poles opportunity that Poland should stay neutral successful nan Israel-Palestine conflict.

But tensions betwixt Poland and Israel originate periodically complete Holocaust representation and politics.

In 2018, Poland passed a arguable law, making it forbidden to propose Poland’s complicity successful Nazi crimes. One twelvemonth later, Israel Katz, then-foreign minister, said “Poles imbibe anti-Semitism from their mothers’ milk”.

In 2021, Poland projected a rule to put a statute of limitation of restitution claims regarding Jewish spot seized during World War II, which Yair Lapid, overseas curate astatine nan time, described arsenic “immoral and a disgrace”.

Last May, Poland supported a solution granting Palestine perceiver authorities position wrong nan United Nations. Israel’s Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne warned that nan determination would “harm Poland”.

Radek Sikorski, Poland’s overseas minister, responded that it is “the Polish government, not overseas ambassadors, who will determine what is bully for Poland”.

Beyond nan negotiated rows, astir Poles see nan Holocaust arsenic nan worst calamity successful caller history and find it difficult to comprehend that Israelis could beryllium perpetrators of humanitarian crimes.

“In Poland, it is unthinkable to comparison thing to nan Holocaust and immoderate specified comparison sounds controversial. The Holocaust has a very symbolic and individual meaning to people,” Ewa Gorska, a doctoral student of sociology of rule focusing connected nan Middle East, told Al Jazeera.

“Poland and nan remainder of Europe person ne'er worked done nan anti-Semitism which made nan Holocaust possible. At nan aforesaid time, aft nan creation of Israel, our emotions and prejudices against nan Jews were easy transferred onto nan Arabs and Muslims successful nan forms of anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”

Israel’s warfare successful Gaza has killed astatine slightest 43,922 Palestinians and wounded 103,898 since October 7, 2023, erstwhile an estimated 1,139 group were killed and much than 200 were taken captive during nan Hamas-led incursion into confederate Israel.

‘If I kept silent, I wouldn’t beryllium capable to look astatine myself successful nan mirror’

During different capacity astatine nan Cliche and Wall Space galleries successful Warsaw, nan Polish capital, Dobrowolski kneeled for 7 hours surrounded by mannequins of babies folded successful achromatic cloths, symbolising nan relentless quality of what a UN agency has called a war connected children, fixed nan tens of thousands who person been killed successful small much than a year.

During 1 of his performances, Mahmoud Khalifa, nan Palestinian ambassador to Poland, placed a keffiyeh connected Dobrowolski’s backmost and whispered: “Thank you.”

Yara Al Nimer, a Poland-based Palestinian vocalist who has seen Dobrowolski’s performance, described them arsenic “one of nan astir powerful things I’ve ever seen”.

His activity draws disapproval arsenic good arsenic praise.

He has antecedently described nan onslaught successful Gaza arsenic a “psychopathic reality” and successful different works, straight compared nan atrocities committed by Israeli troops to those of Nazi warfare criminals.

(Al Jazeera)

At nan gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, nan largest Nazi attraction and extermination camp, he raised banners reference “Is ‘never again’ for everyone?” and “Israel exploits Holocaust representation to transportation retired genocide” successful a one-man picket protest.

More than 1.1 cardinal group – nan mostly of them Jews, but besides Poles, and Roma group among others – perished betwixt 1941 and 1945.

In nan eyes of galore Poles and Jews, he violated a ineffable place.

“Some galleries and creation collectors [have] commented that I americium an anti-Semite,” said Dobrowolski. “I cognize that raising nan rumor of nan business successful Palestine tin beryllium detrimental to my career, that I won’t beryllium capable to show my activity successful museums, and that immoderate auctions will not waste my work. But if I kept silent, I wouldn’t beryllium capable to look astatine myself successful nan mirror. I don’t make excuses.”

According to Gorska, astir Polish millennials grew up learning astir nan wrongs of anti-Semitism, but location was not capable chat connected Holocaust trauma.

This is 1 of nan reasons why immoderate fearfulness commenting connected Israel’s curen of nan Palestinians, she said.

But nan younger procreation successful nan pro-Palestinian movement, which includes students who person occupied assemblage buildings successful Warsaw and Krakow, nary longer stock nan fears of their older compatriots.

“These are group who attraction astir their connection and inclusivity. There is nary spot for racism aliases anti-Semitism. It is simply a wholly different sensitivity and different measurement of knowing nan world, which allows them to activity done issues that were neglected before,” Gorska said.