Poland’s former Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned a Sunday X post by the Jad Waszem Institute for falsely claiming that Poland was the first country to label Jews during World War II.
Controversial X Post by Jad Waszem Institute
On Sunday, Jad Waszem Institute posted on X that Poland was the first country to label Jews during World War II. The claim was later corrected after protests.
The correction read: “As noted by many users and clearly stated in the linked article, this was an order from German authorities.”
Donald Tusk Calls the Claim “Lying”
At a press conference in Angola, Tusk said he could not believe his eyes when he read the statement, accusing the institute of a deliberate mistake that “opposes history”.
He warned that “Nazi Germany, Hitler, Governor Frank” are responsible for the persecution of Polish citizens and Jews in Poland.
He urged that the institute avoid such errors in the future and take a clear stance on historical facts.
Reactions from Polish Memory Institutions
The Auschwitz‑Birkenau Museum on X asserted that if anyone should know historical facts, it is Jad Waszem, and that Poland was occupied by Germany at the time, who imposed anti‑Semitic laws.
The Institute of National Remembrance also stated that the Sunday post omitted the fact of German occupation, mentioning the anniversary of Hans Frank’s decree.
The Catholic–Jewish Relations Center of KUL also criticized the omission, emphasizing the necessity of precise language in a period of widespread historical distortion.
