Several hundred Jews and Poles demonstrated in front of the Polish Consulate General in Montreal last week against manifestations of anti-Semitism by Poland’s military government and the imposition of martial law in that country. The demonstration was organized by the Canadian Jewish Congress and was supported by the Polish-Canadian Congress.
The demonstrators shouted, “Never again” and “Long live Israel.” CJC president Irwin Cotler and executive vice president Alan Rose sent a cable to Poland’s Premier, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzeliki, demanding that “Those responsible for the outrageous anti-Jewish incitement on Warsaw radio be brought to justice. To blame the 6,000 Jews of Poland — a pathetic remnant of the 3.5 million who once lived there — for the Polish tragedy is simply an attempt to divert attention from the government’s own failure to cope.”
William Siemienski, vice president of the Polish-Canadian Congress, said: “We support the Jewish people in their protest condemning anti-Semitism by the so-called government of Poland. The government in Poland does not represent the Polish people and the anti-Jewish propaganda is sheer nonsense.” The Polish Consul General refused to receive a delegation of the protestors.
The protest was specifically against an interview on Warsaw radio December 15 with a man identified as Prof. Kossecki who charged that Jews and Free Masons were misleading the Polish people and that persons of Jewish origin turned the Solidarity movement into an anti-national body.
MEETING WITH POLISH CONSUL GENERAL
In Toronto, a delegation at the CJC met for 50 minutes with the Polish Consul General Tadeus Jqnicki last week to convey a message of protest over the scapegoating of Jews in Poland and the loss of human rights and freedoms to all of its citizens through the imposition of martial law.
The CJC statement also referred to the Kossecki interview. It expressed “shock” and “deep concern” that “the government of Poland has allowed its media to resurrect the pernicious subterfuge of anti-Semitism, holding the miniscule and aged remnant of the Jewish community responsible for the ills besetting the country.” Declaring that “such statements are repugnant at any time and utterly deplorable in time of crisis,” the CJC urged the Polish government to “publicly repudiate and halt immediately these irresponsible and dangerous charges which we know are in violation of Polish law.”
Janicki promised to convey the statement to the Polish Ambassador in Ottawa for transmission to Warsaw. It was signed by Mira Koschitzky, chairman of the CJC Ontario region, and Ed Waltzer and Charles Zalonz, co-chairman of its international affairs committee.
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