Fears aroused by recent anti-Jewish utterances in Parliament were somewhat calmed today as a result of last night’s caustic address by Premier Skladkowski.
The Premier, declaring the Government would not permit anti-Jewish excesses, threatened Nationalist agitators who used the peasantry’s economic difficulties to instigate pogroms with internment in the Government concentration camp at Bereza.
Nationalist agitation, he charged, was directly responsible for three slayings in the Bialystok district alone during 1936. In that same section the year just ended witnessed a total of 348 anti-Jewish incidents, of which 21 were mass attacks on Jews, the Premier declared.
All this, he said, was due to Nationalist agitation, “conducted day and night.”
Declaring Jews were being unjustly held responsible for the peasantry’s difficulties, he caustically remarked:
“I ask, did the peasantry’s situation improve even slightly after the anti-Jewish riots?”
“Those starting with Jewish attacks,” he continued, “will finish with anarchy. I shall not hesitate to concentration more Nationalists should it become necessary.”
Turning to Deputy Budzinsky, among the most outspoken of anti-Semitic members of Parliament, the Premier concluded:
“You, Budzinsky, claim Poland is sick. I tell you, Poland is well, but your nerves are sick. Cure yourself.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
