Kaczyński’s Anti-German Obsession

How anti-German rhetoric is used by PiS in domestic and foreign politics

6 December 2021

Adam Leszczyński

Marcin Król Fellow

Orwellian games with Polish politics of memory and a postmodern twist

On 16 November 2021 the Polish National Broadcasting Council (Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji) reprimanded the main state television network — TVP1 — for abusing one quote from Donald Tusk, Poland’s opposition leader.

In only two evening news programmes, on July 19 and 20, the government-controlled network repeated four times a short video of Tusk saying, in German, “für Deutschland” (for Germany). They also played twice a clip of Tusk speaking — on another occasion — “Danke für Alles” (thank you for all).

All of this was completely disconnected from any actual news. The videos are old and have been clipped. They were meant to prove that Tusk is a German lackey, portraying him as almost a traitor and an enemy of ‘true’ Polish national interests. In the symbolic universe of the Polish pro-government media, the fact alone that any Polish politician actually spoke some German serves as proof of his (or her) anti-Polish attitude. The context is not relevant.

Subscribe

Democratic security comes at a price. What is yours? By subscribing or donating now gain access to analysis, forecasts and scenarios by leading analysts and reporters who monitor democratic risks and develop policy debate from Central Europe on Central Europe.

MonthlyVAT included

€4/month

See all details

  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly outlook on democratic security in CEE delivered by e-mail
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Invitations to all Visegrad Insight events online and offline

AnnualVAT included

€40/year

See all details

  • 15% Discount (8 EUR off monthly cost if paid annually)
  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly outlook on democratic security in CEE delivered by e-mail
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Invitations to all Visegrad Insight events online and offline

Student OR Donation

Choose your contribution

See all details

  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Some Visegrad Insight events invitations

Can I receive an invoice?

Yes. You will receive a receipt immediately after purchase and a VAT invoice upon request. The subscription amount includes tax. In case of a donation, there is no tax.

Are my credit card details safe?

Yes. The payment is processed by STRIPE www.stripe.com entrusted also by Amazon, Zoom, Booking.com and used by other global NGOs and businesses in the world. We do not store your credit card details.

How modify or cancel my subscription?

At any moment you can manage your subscription and account details. Sign in to modify or cancel.

Adam Leszczyński

Marcin Król Fellow

Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight. Journalist, sociologist and historian with an equal interest in academia as well as working as a senior writer at OKO.press, a non-profit, investigative journalist and fact-checking project, created to preserve freedom of speech and secure access to information in Poland. His main focuses are on Polish politics and history, with special emphasis on the government’s politics of memory.

Newsletter

Weekly updates with our latest articles and the editorial commentary.