Latvian police assembles a group of Jewish women for execution near Liepaja.
Source: Deutsches Bundesarchiv

We look at Polish reactions to an article in Der Spiegel claiming that Poland was among the countries that helped Germany in the Holocaust.

Michal Kubicki reports
 
 
In its article, Der Spiegel names Polish farmers among those who, alongside Ukrainian gendarmes, Latvian auxiliary policemen and representatives of other nations, were accomplices of the Germans during World War Two. The article provoked mixed reactions in Poland.

Some politicians are outraged and say that Germany is trying to free itself from taking responsibility for the Holocaust. They argue that there should be an official reaction from the Polish Foreign Ministry. Others point to press  freedoms and say that it does not make any sense to present official comments on the opinions expressed by a private newspaper.

Prominent analysts also vary in their views. Some describe the article as a well-documented story on how representatives of various European nations collaborated with the Nazis. Others say that while the article does present historical facts, its overall message is false.
We hear from Polish Foreign Minister, a spokeman for the National Remembrance Institute and Polish and British commentators.

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