U.S. urges Poland to reevaluate legislation on crimes during Holocaust

The U.S. Department of State has called on Poland to reevaluate the legislation regarding crimes committed during the Holocaust.

"We encourage Poland to reevaluate the legislation in light of its potential impact on the principle of free speech and on our ability to be effective partners," spokesperson for the U.S. Department Heather Nauert said in a press statement on January 31, 2018.

Read alsoPolish Senate passes draft law banning "Bandera ideology""The history of the Holocaust is painful and complex. We understand that phrases such as 'Polish death camps' are inaccurate, misleading, and hurtful. We are concerned, however, that if enacted this draft legislation could undermine free speech and academic discourse. We all must be careful not to inhibit discussion and commentary on the Holocaust. We believe open debate, scholarship, and education are the best means of countering inaccurate and hurtful speech," she said.

According to Nauert, the United States is also concerned about the repercussions this draft legislation, if enacted, could have on Poland's strategic interests and relationships – including with the United States and Israel. "The resulting divisions that may arise among our allies benefit only our rivals," she said.

UNIAN memo. The Holocaust was a genocide during World War II in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, between 1941 and 1945.