Poland wants to outlaw blaming Poles for Nazi atrocities

At the end of January, 73 years after Soviet troops marched through the gruesome gates of Auschwitz, Polish lawmakers advanced a bill that would make it a crime to blame Poland for the Nazi death camps and other German atrocities committed within the country during World War II. If the measure becomes law, uttering the phrase “Polish concentration camp” could result in a fine or even prison.

The move is being pushed by the country’s ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party and President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday he would sign the measure. His promise to submit it for further constitutional review did little to quell the outcry from historians and the Israeli government that Poland was whitewashing history. Many critics used one word to counter the notion that Poles were merely bystanders to the Nazi’s murderous mission: Jedwabne.

Here’s what they mean. ...