Polish bishop apologizes for Holocaust interview

From: The News
Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek has apologized to the Italian Catholic web site Pontifex.com for having accused it of misquoting him saying that the Holocaust was a “Jewish invention”.

“I was wrong to suggest that the interview which I gave to Mr. Bruno Volpe for Pontifex.com [published on 25 January] was misquoted by him," wrote one of Poland’s most prominent religious figures. Bishop Pieronek explained that he accused the Italian journalist of having manipulated his remarks before actually checking the interview on Pontifex.com.

The Polish bishop admitted that in the interview for the Italian web site - which caused outrage among some in Israel and the wider Jewish community - he did say that the “Shoah was a Jewish invention,”and that his choice of words was very unfortunate. But they doe not represent his views on Holocaust, he said.

“What I meant was that the word “Shoah" was a Jewish invention used by a renowned American-Jewish writer and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. Holocaust, a horrendous genocide, was, in fact, invented and carried out by the Nazi Germany," wrote the bishop.

Pieronek also apologized to Pontifex.com. “I apologize to Mr. Volpe and everyone who felt offended by my unintentionally misfortunate statement. I had no intention to falsify history or accuse anyone of ill will.”

Polish homeless shack up in Brussels

From: The News
A dozen homeless people from central and eastern Europe, including some from Poland have been camping in a covered passageway in the centre of Brussels for several months now.

They do not want any help and prefer to be left alone but their presence in the little-used arcade has already attracted the attention of the local media and law enforcement bodies. The police have tried twice to liquidate the makeshift ‘village’ but the homeless refused to move.

In an effort to escape rain and cold, they set up camp in a passageway linking two small streets in the center of the Belgian capital. The homeless sleep, rest, smoke and drink alcohol lying on neatly made beds of blankets and sleeping bags.

“We don’t need anything, all we need is to be left alone,” – a Polish woman, who has been living in the passageway for several months now, told the Polish news agency PAP. She said there are Poles in the group, but also Czechs and citizens of former Soviet republics. She refused to say what brought her to Belgium in the first place.

Some locals though want the homeless immigrants to leave. “They are nice, they say hello and behave quietly, but they should not be here,” a street cleaner said, adding that the city authorities should provide a toilet for the homeless.

A cashier from a nearby supermarket looks on at the homeless with pity.

“They sometimes come here with small amounts of cash but they never buy food, only alcohol. They are young, poor people who simply did not make it… We have no problems with them, they don’t steal, we don’t mind their presence, but it’s too bad that they don’t eat and have nowhere to go to wash themselves,” the cashier said.

Some customers buy food for the homeless in the supermarket. Others bring them bread and soup.

An estimated 100,000 Poles live in Belgium.

Yanukovich claims ‘Polish interference’ in Ukraine election planned

From: The News
Ukraine presidential candidate Victor Yanukovych vows that “fighters” from Poland, Lithuania and Georgia planning to disrupt the second round of the presidential elections will be repelled.

In an astonishing outburst in the week leading up to the second round of the Ukrainian presidential elections, Yanukovich was quoted by Interfax, Monday, as saying: “We have been informed that so-called election monitors from Poland and Lithuania are on their way to Ukraine. Several boats from Georgia are also coming to Odessa.”

Yanukovich, leader of the party of the Regions who won the first round of the presidential election on January 17, and is going head-to-head with Yulia Tymoshenko is the second round on Sunday, said that outside influences were trying to interfere with the ballot at the invitation of his rival.

“It’s obvious that these are fighters who are coming to Ukraine to help Tymoshenko,” said Yanukovych.

Yanukovich – who gains most of his support from Russian speaking Ukrainians in the east of the country and is in favour of closer ties with Russia - added that the Ukrainian boarder guards, security service and Defence Ministry were informed about the alleged threat. Yanukovych warned that if the authorities do not act against the intruders, the Party of Regions will mobilize its forces to fight against them.

“We’re going to show them what it means to be Ukrainian,” said Yanukovych.

During the ballot on 17 January almost 2,000 Georgians came to eastern Ukraine and tried to register as election monitors. However, the Central Electoral Committee rejected their request. Yanukovych then accused Yulia Tymoshenko of hiring mercenaries sent by Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili to destabilize the country.

In the first round of the presidential elections, Victor Yanukovych received 35.32 percent of votes and Yulia Tymoshenko 25.05 percent. Over 3,000 people from countries other than Georgia participated in the first round of the Ukrainian elections as election monitors.

Yanukovich’s election as president in 2004 led to widespread street protests in what came to be known as the Orange Revolution, amid accusations of vote-rigging. The election was subsequently re-run and won by Viktor Yushchenko.

Illegal workers face deportation

From: thenews.pl
A group of almost 60 foreigners have been taken into custody for working illegally in Lubin, south-west Poland.

The State Border Guard in the region interrogated 55 Ukrainians, 2 Moldovans and a Belarusian. All had permission to be in the country, and even had work permits.

However, the blame rests with the employer, who did not register them and allowed them to work two to three weeks before the dates set by the foreigners’ visas.

The group has been given a week to leave Polish territory, and will not be allowed to return to Poland for a year. The Border Guard has submitted a request to the courts for the fining of the employer who allowed the foreigners to work illegally.

Note: It's true: Poland screws you every time

Jailed Polish rapist in assassination bid

From: independent.ie
A FORMER Polish soldier who was jailed on Friday for a vicious sexual attack on a woman tried to have her and her partner killed while he was in prison awaiting trial.

Edward Piotrowski, 45, made two unsuccessful approaches to would-be assassins to whom he offered money in return for killing his victims in advance of his trial for rape and false imprisonment.

Gardai averted the murder plot after it leaked back to detectives.

Details of the ferocious attack on the couple were so shocking that Mr Justice Peter Charlton branded it the worst he had encountered in his career, before passing one of the harshest sentences for rape ever handed down in an Irish court.

Piotrowski received five life terms. The judge said it was his intention that the former soldier would never be released.

Piotrowski moved to Ireland in 2005 and worked as a mechanic in Edenderry, Co Offaly. He was said to be jealous of the woman's new relationship and wanted to kill both her and her partner.

Their nightmare began when Piotrowski broke into the couple's home in November 2007.

In her statement, she said she awoke suddenly when she was hit in the head. When she turned on the light she saw a man in a balaclava standing at the bed, attacking her boyfriend.

She instantly recognised her assailant and pleaded with him to stop.

With his identity blown, Piotrowski threatened to kill them both. He bound her partner with duct tape and slashed him 10 times with a knife. Then he raped and sexually assaulted her.

He told them he planned to kill both of them, but that he would make it look like her boyfriend had killed her and then took his own life.

He eventually agreed to leave when she promised him she would not report the attack. After he had gone, they called the police.

When Piotrowski returned to his house at around 10.30am, gardai were already there and he was arrested.

When his car was searched, gardai found night-vision glasses, an electro-shock weapon, a knife, a baton and a map of the town with a purple dot marking the victim's house.

Piotrowski denied that he had been anywhere near the victims. However during his interrogation, Inspector Pat Murray, who led the investigation, noticed a tiny spot of blood on his left ear.

The blood turned out to be that of his female victim.

Despite the care he took to cover his tracks, Piotrowski's DNA was also found on a carton of orange juice in his victims' house.

Piotrowski had prepared for the attack with chilling attention to detail.

He broke into the house using a key he had already cut. He carried a rucksack, containing rope and duct tape. He wore a balaclava and blue plastic covers on feet to conceal his footprints.

After leaving the house, he burned his clothes and other materials linking him to the attack.

Despite the suspicions raised by this advance planning, Piotrowski had no criminal record, here or in his native Poland, where he had served in the army for two years.

The impact of the attack continues to reverberate with his victims. Gardai have put protection measures in place, since learning of Piotrowski's plot to kill his victims while awaiting trial. The woman's parents have also received threats.

The attack was described as "insane" and "horrible" by the judge on Friday.

But the Rape Crisis Network questioned why Piotrowski was allowed to serve his five life sentences simultaneously, rather than consecutively, which would ensure a lifetime behind bars.

Scandal of Polish convict who raped girl after being allowed into the country

From: Daily Gazette

Slawomir Blasiak

A RAPIST should never have been allowed out of his native Poland to commit his brutal crime, the Gazette can reveal.

Slawomir Blasiak raped a 15-year-old girl after he found her contemplating suicide at a Colchester car park.

However, he should never have been allowed into the UK, as he was a convicted robber who was on the run from police.

The incident happened in May, 2008, and since then the 43-year-old Polish national, who was living in Sittang Close, Colchester, repeatedly denied the attack.

The court heard the girl, who had been staying in a children’s home, was going to cut her wrists and throw herself from a high wall onto a car park when Blasiak started talking to her. He then attacked her.

In court, his victim was forced to relive her ordeal via video link, being subjected to cross-examination by the defence lawyers.

Last month, a jury found him guilty of rape and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Blasiak has now been given an indeterminate prison sentence for the public’s protection, meaning he will not be released until he is no longer a danger.

Even then, Blasiak will not be allowed to return to his home in Colchester, but will be deported.

Meanwhile, it has emerged Blasiak should never have been able to commit the crime. He was already a known violent offender, after spending time in prison in Poland for robbery.

He was released from prison early, and was on licence when he was due to stand trial for a second robbery in the country.

Instead, he fled, managing to pass through both Polish and UK border checks without his violent past being flagged up.

It was only after Blasiak was in custody in Colchester in connection with the rape, that detectives were told about the outstanding European Arrest Warrant against him.

Det Con Tim Harris, from Colchester CID, said: “It wasn’t until he was in custody and we started making inquiries with Interpol in Warsaw that we discovered his past.

“He also uses a number of aliases, which made it more difficult.”

Gail Adams, UK Border Agency regional director for the Midlands and East, said: “This was an appalling crime and my thoughts are with the victim.

“The UK Border Agency Watchlist contains certain details of overseas criminal convictions, only where this information has been made available by the individual’s country of origin.

“By the time Interpol advised the UK Border Agency of the arrest warrant for Blasiak – relating to a robbery in Poland – he was already in police custody in connection with the offence for which he has now been jailed.

“The UK Border Agency will seek to deport Blasiak upon completion of his sentence.”

Lindsey Read, manager of Colchester’s Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, said it seemed the victim’s ordeal could have been avoided.

She said: “If the authorities in Poland had done their job properly, this man wouldn’t have been in the country, so could not have committed this rape. It is absolutely horrendous and heads should roll in Poland for that.”

Ms Read feels for the teenage victim of the horrific crime. She added: “He pleaded not guilty as well, which put her through an even more horrific ordeal.”

Police detain 120 in Polish pedophilia sting

From: Earthtimes
Some 120 people were detained on Thursday on suspicion of owning and distributing internet child pornography, Polish National Police said. Police across Poland in total secured 112 computers, 47 hard disks and nearly 7,500 CDs and DVDs in the nation-wide Operation Roxane, according to a police statement.

The operation launched in Radom, central Poland, after local police there found some 100 IP addresses of users suspected of owning or distributing child pornography on the internet.

The police launched the operation at before dawn Thursday throughout the country. The suspects face up to 8 years in prison if convicted.

Poland's national police conducted eight such operations last year and detained 473 people, officials said.

Polish mayor nicked for torture and murder

From: NPE
Police have arrested and charged a former mayor of Zabrze with torture and murder.

The ex-town chief, known only as Jerzy G. owing to reporting restrictions, was picked up following an investigation after a man’s body was found in some local woods in August 2008.

“Last Thursday and Friday charges were brought against three people,” said Marta Zawada-Dybek from district prosecutor's office in Katowice. “Two were detained while the third was already in detention.

“The body of the victim was bound and covered with leaves,” she added. “There were visible signs of torture. Analysis showed that he had died from wounds inflicted to the neck.”

The victim, who was also missing an ear, was Lech Frydrychowski, a 34-year-old lawyer from Zabrze.

According to prosecutors, the murderers had planned to bury Frydrychowski’s battered corpse but, after being unsettled by a noise, left the body covered by just a few branches.

Investigators assert that 62-year-old Jerzy G., who was the Silesian town’s mayor from 2002 to 2005, had, along with two accomplices, killed Frydrychowski after the man had demanded the repayment of a PLN-246,000 loan he had given the local politician.

In a twisting story it turned out that the mayor, at one point, had accused Frydrychowski of trying to blackmail him but during the following investigation it was revealed that Jerzy G. had provided false testimony.

The grisly murder and the arrest of the former mayor have shocked the small town.

Many in Zabrze have struggled to associate Jerzy G, who is a member of the Polish Academy of Science, and a university lecturer, with the brutal murder of Frydrychowski.

“He was a trustworthy, understanding and warm man, devoted to his family and two daughters,” one of Jerzy G’s former colleagues told a newspaper.

Jan Chojnacki, an ex-colleague from the Democratic Left Alliance, the party the Jerzy G. once belonged to, also praised the man’s good character.

“He was not a member of our party, but he knew foreign languages, was a doctor, and had a good reputation,” he said.

But it turns out that along with the legal problems stemming from the alleged lies he told about Frydrychowski the former mayor also had problems with the tax authorities.

Who's lying in Krzysztof Olewnik's grave?

From: NPE

Sister breaks down in tears as traumatic case takes another turn

One of the most tragic and controversial criminal cases in post-communist Poland has been turned upside down after allegations surfaced that the body presumed to be that of a murder victim may in fact be someone else’s.

Gdansk prosecutors have agreed to a request from the family of Krzysztof Olewnik for an exhumation to see whether the body lying in a cemetery near Plock is that of the 27-year-old businessman.

Olewnik was kidnapped in 2001, held for ransom, tortured and murdered despite his family paying a ransom of EUR 300,000. Following a witness statement a body, presumed to that of victim’s, was recovered from woodland near Olsztyn in 2006.

But now it turns out that the authorities in charge of the corpse may not have carried out all the procedures necessary to confirm identification, and the fact that prosecutors have agreed to the exhumation is regarded as confirmation that there are serious doubts over the identity.

“We need to be sure that we are lighting candles on our son’s grave,” said Wlodzimierz Olewnik, Krzysztof’s father. “We are trying to avoid thinking about what if it turns out not to be him. At the moment we are in shock, and do not know what to do with ourselves. We asked for an exhumation of the body as soon as we heard about the doubts.”

Along with heaping more anguish on the Olewnik family, legal experts have pointed that the decision to exhume casts doubts doubt over the guilt of a number of individuals now serving gaol sentences for Olewnik’s abduction and murder.

“This will be an earthquake for the Polish justice system,” said Professor Piotr Kruszynski from Warsaw University. “I was amazed and surprised by the news of plans to exhume Krzysztof Olewnik because it could mean that a person was unjustly and unfairly sentenced to life in prison.”

Experts have said that the chances of the body being that of Olewnik’s are 50 per cent, and that there is even a 5 per cent chance that he is still alive.

The Olewnik family has always maintained that their son’s killers had protection from high-placed political figures, and the case is now the subject of a parliamentary enquiry.

Holocaust was a Jewish invention, says top Polish bishop

From: The News
Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, one of Poland’s most prominent religious figures, is reported to have told an Italian Catholic news web site that the Holocaust was a "Jewish invention". The bishop says his remarks were “taken out of context” however.

"The Holocaust, as such, is a Jewish invention [invenzione ebraica]. We could just as well establish a day of remembrance to the numerous victims of communism, when Catholics and Christians were persecuted," he told the Pontifex.Roma web site on Sunday.

In remarks that will outrage Jews the world over, Bishop Pieronek said that in his opinion the memory of the Holocaust is often used as a “propaganda weapon” by Israel.

The Krakow-based bishop said: “Undoubtedly, the majority of those who died in the concentration camps were Jews, but also on the list were Poles, Gypsies, Italians and Catholics. So do not steal this tragedy in the name of propaganda.”

“But they, the Jews, have a good press, because the powerful have the financial resources - extremely powerful with the unconditional support of the United States. And this promotes a kind of arrogance, which I consider to be unbearable,” Bishop Pieronek continued.

The bishop expressed his opinion that the Palestinians are victims of injustice at the hands of the Israelis.

“Seeing the photographs of the [Gaza] wall we can conclude that a colossal injustice has been committed against the Palestinians, who are treated like animals and their rights are being violated.”

“Let them establish [the international lobby] a Memorial Day for them also.”

Out of context

Bishop Pieronek, however, says the interview printed on the Italian web site bares little resemblance to the one that he gave the journalist.

“I have not seen the printed text of the interview, which I have given but have not authorized. But if I were to believe in what I hear from the media then it looks as though the final form of the interview was the idea of the journalist that I had spoken to, as the text is full of vague statements."

The controversy comes Just two days before Holocaust remembrance Day on January 27 and prime minister of Israel Benyamin Netanyahu’s visit to Poland for the 65 anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Polish criminal spotted by Polish policewoman…in Bristol

From: The News
As she strolled the streets of Bristol, west England, a Polish police woman on a three months training course in the UK, spotted a suspected Polish robber and took action so he was arrested.

The officer, who has been serving in police in the eastern city of Lublin for eleven years, went to Great Britain for a three-month training. While she was on patrol in Bristol, the woman recognized Krzysztof R., who was on the run from Polish police. She had seen the criminals’ photos on most wanted list.

Krzysztof R., who had several warrants of arrest issued on his name, is accused of robbery and assault.

When the officer recognized the criminal she informed Polish, which issued the European Warrant of Arrest for Krzysztof R. and British police, who detained the criminal on 23 December 2009. The man was completely surprised to see policemen arresting him, equally to his family which visited him for Christmas.

Brain Damaged Pole gets paid

From: The News

With that kind of money, he can afford to crash a better class of car

A 27-year-old Pole residing in Great Britain has received a record-breaking 9.6 million euro in compensation for injuries suffered in a car accident.

In November 2005, Lukasz Borowski from the northern city of Szczecin was on his way to work in a factory in Cambridgeshire. He was given a lift by a colleague. Suddenly, the car skidded and fell down a ditch.

As a result of the accident Pole’s spinal cord and spine were fractured and damaged vertebrae blocked the flow of oxygen to brain. Lukasz’s left cerebral hemisphere got damaged.

The court in the UK has adjudged the Pole with the highest compensation in the history of the country, which amounts to 8.35 million pounds (9.6 million euro).

More bad news: Tougher economic times do not mean Polish workers are returning to their homeland

From: Guardian

Be careful: Sometimes they try to move to a third country

Contrary to some suggestions, Poles are not escaping Britain – we are trying to survive here. Since 2004, more than 2 million Poles – mostly young – have gone abroad in search of work. They left mainly because of the following factors: demographic (the 1980 "baby boom" generation), economic (discrepancies in salaries in Poland) and political (the opportunity to work legally thanks to Poland's entry into the EU).

It is very difficult to estimate how many of those two million migrated to Britain, and it is even harder to estimate the number who have returned. Different countries adopt different definitions of a "returning migrant". Sometimes people tell researchers they are thinking of returning, but in reality they try to postpone the final decision for as long as possible. Sometimes they return home and, after not being able to find a job, return to the country where they originally emigrated. Sometimes they try to move to a third country.

The history of economic upheavals, such as the oil crisis in 1973, should teach us that recessions do influence the outflow of migrants (it becomes lower). However, they do not stimulate return migration. During recessions most local inhabitants are trying to survive and stop being so mobile (both professionally and within their own country). With jobs insecure or in short supply, it is a time "to wait and see".

So it is important that journalists, experts and politicians on both sides share the data available. There is plenty of misleading information in this field which, in my opinion, is mainly harmful for Polish migrants. These are just people who migrated to find a better life abroad and decent working conditions. Most of them are trying to survive an economic crisis abroad, which is a very challenging task. So why do I think Poles are not going home in the numbers suggested by the British government?

The most recent estimates by Poland's Central Statistical Office (CSO), based on census data, put the number of Poles who have migrated for work at 2.21 million in 2008, of whom 650,000 are in Britain. In 2007 the figures were 2.27 million and 690,000 respectively, and in 2006 1.95 million and 580,000.

So according to our data there were never a million Poles in Britain – as sometimes reported – but nor did half of them come back home. The number of Poles in Britain dropped by only 40,000 in 2008. However, at the same time countries including Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark observed a small increase in the number of Poles. According to the same source, 70% of Poles stay abroad for at least one year.

In order to know what really happened in 2009, we have to wait until July or August of this year, when all the data from various sources will be available to the Central Statistical Office). The observed drop in remittances (of around 20%, in comparison with the same periods during 2008) recorded by the Polish National Bank for the first three quarters of 2009 may suggest that the economic situation of Polish migrants in Britain deteriorated substantially.

The history of migration also teaches us that after a period of time – usually five years – migrants' loyalties and ties change from their homeland to the receiving countries, and they therefore stop sending money home. Instead, they try to persuade family members to join them abroad. The small number of dependants of Polish migrants recorded by the Home Office appears to confirm this.

Note: These lies were written by somebody named Krystyna Iglicka

Polish activists detained in Belarus

From: UPI

Lukashenko: Let's be perfectly clear- If the UK doesn't want them, why the hell should we?

The head of the Union of Poles in Belarus said as many as 50 members of the Polish minority in Belarus were detained Thursday by authorities.

Union of Poles in Belarus leader Andzelika Borys told the Polish news agency PAP the minority members were detained as nearly 100 Polish activists were traveling to Ivyanets, Belarus, to meet with members of the Polish Union in Belarus.

Borys said Belarus authorities stopped activists' vehicles and surveyed documents before detaining certain individuals.

"People were stopped on various pretexts: their cars and documents were checked, some had breathalyzer tests, others were taken for medical examinations," she added.

Note: It's a good start, but we can do better...

Shocking report on 'corrupt' Central Anti-Corruption Bureau

From: WBJ
The results of a recent audit of the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) were revealed by its new head, Pawel Wojtniuk. The report paints a grim picture of the agency.

"There was corruption, favoritism, the use of public property for personal gain," said Civic Platform MP Konstanty Miodowicz, chairman of the Sejm's Special Services Committee, which heard the report.

He was reluctant to say more, as the entire 198-page long audit is confidential.

So what now?

Allegedly Mr Wojtniuk has not yet offered a new outlook on how the agency should function. "He does not want to be a liquidator, he needs time. So far, the CBA has operated in violation of the rules on civil control over special services. It is also our fault, and we need to change that," commented Mr Miodowicz.

The directors of the various CBA departments are due to present proposed changes on Friday.

Note: Why is this shocking?

Man orders attack on pregnant fiancée

From: NPE
A woman and her unborn child survived a vicious attack from a thug hired by her boyfriend to beat her up in the town of Zgierz.

The events came about when 30-year old Arkadiusz K. persuaded his 19-year old cousin Robert K. to attack his fiancée, with the aim of getting rid of their unwanted pregnancy.

Whilst out, the couple’s car was ‘ambushed’ and Arkadiusz K. was told to drive. When he stopped at the chosen location, he was ordered outside and beaten, the Prosecutor’s Office heard.

The attacker then turned his attention to the woman, hitting her with force in the stomach, despite her pleas that she was pregnant.

After the ordeal, the couple went immediately to the Zgierz Provincial Hospital, where staff alerted the police.

Investigators found a number of inaccuracies in the story and were dubious that the attacker had left the woman’s phone and car keys at the scene. After some questioning, Arkadiusz K. admitted to orchestrating the whole event.

“It’s the opinion of experts that the beating could have resulted in an abortion,” said Krzysztof Kopania, a spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office in Lodz.

“We have to admit, we have never had a case like this before,” said one police source. “It turns out that human stupidity truly knows no boundaries.”

The woman is said to be in stable condition and not in danger of losing the baby.

If found guilty, the two men face up to eight years in prison.