Independence Day and disputes. Nawrocki on the “peacock of nations”, Kosiniak-Kamysz on whistling: Screaming did not give freedom

Independence regained 107 years ago was a great joy, but also a responsibility, said President Karol Nawrocki during the Independence Day celebration. He asked: what will we do today to make the 21st century the one in which we will be independent for a hundred years?

On Tuesday at noon, as every year, the most important state officials took part in the central celebration of the anniversary – this year the 107th – of Poland regaining independence. Traditionally, the celebrations are organized in Warsaw at Józef Piłsudski Square, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the ceremonial changing of the guard took place on Tuesday.

The ceremony was attended by, among others: President Karol Nawrocki and his wife Marta Nawrocka, Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia, Speaker of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska and Deputy Prime Minister, head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski together with representatives of the Sejm and Senate, other ministries, courts, army and services.

Nominations handed out for generals

During the celebrations, the president presented general nominations to officers of the Polish Army and other services; Kosiniak-Kamysz also took part in the ceremony – in the case of promotions in the army – and the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, in the case of services subordinated to him. Among those promoted to the rank of division general were: the commander of the WOT General Krzysztof Stańczyk, the head of the Armament Agency dealing with the purchase of equipment for the army, General Artur Kuptel, the commander of the emerging 8th Infantry Division of the Home Army, General Krzysztof Knut and the commander of the Air Operations Center responsible for the daily protection of Polish airspace, Grzegorz Ślusarz. Piotr Nieć, Deputy Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, was appointed to the rank of vice-admiral of the Polish Army.

The nominations for the first general rank – brigadier general – were received by: Commander of the 1st Podlasie Territorial Defense Brigade Mieczysław Gurgielewicz, Deputy Head of the Military Engineering Board of the General Command of the Armed Forces, Mariusz Ochalski, as well as Head of the Material Planning Board – P8 in the General Staff Jarosław Rybak, Deputy Commander of WOT Marcin Siudziński and the Head of the Management Board Helicopter Aviation – Deputy Inspector of the Air Force of the General Command, Krzysztof Zwoliński.

Artur Bednarek, Provincial Police Commander in Krakow, was appointed to the rank of Police Superintendent. The Commander of the Warmian-Masurian Border Guard Unit, Daniel Wojtaszkiewicz, was appointed to the rank of brigadier general of the Border Guard. Jacek Niewęgłowski, Pomeranian Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service, was appointed to the rank of overbrigadier of the State Fire Service.

Nawrocki: Polish soldiers and officers are sacred. Let's not allow foreign ideologies in schools

During his speech, the president said, among other things, that “soldiers and officers are sacred.” – Even if some celebrities insult the Polish uniform, using words that should not be said in public space, especially to a Polish soldier. Even if the Polish court is not able to react to this in accordance with the Polish raison d'état, I, as the president of Poland, on behalf of the nation that is here, want to tell you that Polish soldiers and officers are sacred, he emphasized.

The president also congratulated the generals on their promotions and thanked them for their daily service for the country's security; he also thanked the heads of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Interior and Administration for the fact that “the state won” in the matter of general nominations.

Referring to the anniversary of Poland regaining independence, the president emphasized that although the fathers of independence differed fundamentally – like Józef Piłsudski and Roman Dmowski – from each other in their views, they did not disappoint “five generations who worked for a free and independent Poland” – five generations living under partitions, ready – as he added – to fight insurrection and insurrection and “hard positivist work”.

– The independence that came then was, on the one hand, a great joy, and on the other – a huge responsibility. – Poland had to fight for its borders and withstand the pressure of the Bolsheviks from the East – he recalled.

Nawrocki admitted that although the political scene of the Second Polish Republic was highly conflicted, it “never gave back what the entire national community needed – its dreams and ambitions – the Central Industrial District, the port of Gdynia, the Polish zloty, which was, is and will be a symbol of Polish sovereignty.”

– Looking at over a thousand years of Polish history and the great work of the fathers of Polish independence, I ask where our essence is, our Christian values ​​that built the foundations of the Republic of Poland, and why we must witness and resist the pressure of the prosthesis of Christian values, which is supposed to be foreign ideologies in Polish schools and the Polish education system – said the president.

Nawrocki: Poland is no longer a colony. Freedom must not be ceded to foreign institutions, including the EU

He also emphasized that “it is not ours, it is not Polish.” – The President of Poland will never allow us to again become the peacock and parrot of nations, irresponsibly repeating what comes from the West – he declared. He pointed out that he was saying this as a supporter of Poland in the European Union. – But speaking first of all: Poland, first of all Poles – he declared.

He also stated that “we see that some Polish politicians are ready to give up Polish freedom, independence and sovereignty piecemeal to foreign institutions, tribunals, foreign agencies, the European Union.” – This blood, sacrifice, this work are so that we understand today that Poland is free and independent, and is no longer a colony – he said.

Nawrocki pointed to the Second Polish Republic, which had experienced battles over the borders and with the Bolsheviks. – We modern Poles, living in incommensurably better times, want to tell those of November 11, 1918 that we cannot afford our dreams, the Central Communication Port, Polish inland navigation, we cannot afford the development of Polish ports, the Polish atom, we cannot afford the Center for Breakthrough Technologies? – asked the president.

He pointed out that Poles want to be able to see a doctor, be cured, and pay cheaper for electricity and groceries. – Our independence, freedom and solidarity also mean social justice and this is what I intend to demand as president in the face of today's holiday – he said.

– We face a great responsibility, knowing that in the 20th century, Poland was independent and sovereign for only 31 years, and for 69 years it was either under partition, or under terrible occupation, or was a Soviet colony after 1945. What will we do today for Polish freedom and sovereignty in the 21st century? Will we fulfill these promises to Polish sovereignty and independence, and will the 21st century be the century in which we will be free and independent for a whole hundred years? – Nawrocki asked.

The president also emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities that Poland faces – in this context, he pointed to Poland's advancement in the economic rankings and the invitation for Poland to the G20 summit formulated by US President Donald Trump, as well as the presence of American troops in Poland and the opportunities for development in the energy sector in the region “together with our American partners.”

– But if we devastate public finances and create shams and political theaters, instead of doing real work for the Republic of Poland, maybe there will be no freedom and sovereignty – he added.

Kosiniak-Kamysz: The scream did not give freedom. The threat is in the East, the allies are in the West

Kosiniak-Kamysz also delivered a speech. – Dear compatriots, we have 215,000. soldiers, others join. And over the last few days, since November 6, 15,000 people have signed up for voluntary defense training. of us. This is practical, everyday patriotism. This is service to the homeland, this is devotion to it, he said.

The head of the Ministry of National Defense added that “200,000 young people have already started education with the army, and 300,000 will be trained in the near future.” – This is a Polish school that gives its best for safety. The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that “all parades, marches, events are (today – PAP) for Independence, not against anyone.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz also recalled the ongoing war in Ukraine. As he emphasized, Ukrainians are also fighting for “so that we too live in a safe country, in Europe, which is not completely ravaged by war from beginning to end.” He emphasized that therefore Ukrainians should be helped and supported, both for humanitarian reasons, but also for the implementation of Polish interests.

– When the partitions took place, they were from every side, from the west and the east. Today, there are our allies in the West, our friends in the European Union and NATO. Polish security is invariably threatened by those in the east, who spread the conflagration and patho-ideology of death – emphasized the head of the Ministry of National Defense.

The Minister of Defense also referred to the whistles and boos that could be heard from some of the gathered people at Piłsudski Square during his speech and during the presentation of general nominations with the participation of him and Minister Kierwiński. – Screaming and whistling did not give freedom. It's work, prayer in sanctuaries… – said Kosiniak-Kamysz. “The aggressive reactions of PiS fans only show that he is doing his job well. Thank you for the support. And I promise more…” Kierwiński wrote on X.

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