Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed legislation that would have recognized Silesian as a regional language.
Nawrocki Vetoes Silesian Language Bill
On Thursday, February 12th, Karol Nawrocki refused to sign an amendment to the law on national, ethnic minorities, and regional languages. The bill would have made Silesian the second regional language in Poland, alongside Kashubian. Parliamentarian Małgorzata Tracz commented on the decision, stating “President Nawrocki vetoed the law recognizing Silesian as a regional language. Unfortunately, Karol Nawrocki makes the same mistake as his predecessor and continues to deny Silesian women and men their rights.”
Nawrocki Explains His Decision
“I respect and greatly value the tradition and culture of Silesia. It is an integral part of the heritage of the Republic. However, scientific facts are not established by voting in the Sejm, one must listen to what specialists say about this matter,” said Nawrocki. Experts and linguists indicate that Silesian speech is a dialect of the Polish language. “We cannot create a precedent where the political majority decides scientific issues,” the president added.
President Calls for Different Approach
In the president’s view, “the bill was insufficiently prepared” and “assigned tasks to local governments without adequate funding.” “As President of the Republic, I will not agree to solutions that may create artificial divisions in our national community,” stated Nawrocki. He then appealed for work on a different bill concerning the support of Silesian culture and dialect. Nawrocki assured that he would sign such a document and announced that he wants to enable the learning of the dialect within additional classes that would be financed from public funds. “Support for culture and tradition: ‘yes’, political game with Silesian culture: ‘no’,” said the president.
