Three PiS MPs in Warsaw have demanded German ambassador Miguel Berger’s resignation, arguing his remarks on Poland insult national memory and spark hostility.
Demand for Dismissal
Polish Law and Justice (PiS) MP Jan Dziedziczak has called for the dismissal of German ambassador Miguel Berger, claiming his remarks disrespect Poland’s memory and foster division. He said that if the ambassador does not work to build bridges but speaks confrontationally, the role will not yield cooperation and that calling those seeking reparations “people who serve Putin” insults the entire Polish political class.
Dziedziczak also urged Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski to state that, following Berger’s comments, cooperation with the ambassador is impossible, calling the remarks an insult to Poles, memory and suffering.
Exchange of Positions
Berger’s remarks began on 8 November, when he responded to Jarosław Kaczyński’s October convention statement that “Germany wants to take our state”. Berger says the image portrayed is not reality, noting a “certain level of distrust” between Poland and Germany. He defended statements about Nord Stream pipelines and said that ongoing divisions only benefit Putin.
The German Embassy noted that continuous divisions created by people like the MP benefit Putin. German diplomat Marcin Przydacz, the head of the President’s International Policy Office, asked Berger to refrain from using the Nord Stream argument, saying it had caused tensions.
Auction of Holocaust Victim Items
In the background, a controversy over an auction at the Felzmann auction house in Neuss involved 623 items belonging to Holocaust victims, including letters, envelopes, postcards and documents. The German ambassador welcomed the cancellation of the auction, stating that it should never have happened and that personal documents of Nazi victims should never be traded.
The ambassador’s statement has drawn criticism, with some observers questioning the timeliness and appropriateness of the response.