**Polish MEP Tears Up Ukrainian Insurgent Army Flag During EU Parliament Debate**
In a dramatic display of dissent, Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik, a Polish Member of the European Parliament (MEP), publicly tore up a flag representing the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during a debate regarding Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. This incident occurred on Tuesday and has drawn significant attention amid ongoing tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
Zajaczkowska-Hernik, a member of the right-wing Patriots for Europe Group and a trained history teacher, used her speech to condemn the glorification of the UPA, an organization historically linked to the mass killings of ethnic Poles during World War II. The UPA, which was the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) led by Stepan Bandera, collaborated with Nazi Germany and was responsible for atrocities, particularly during the Volhynia massacre in 1943-1944, where it is estimated that up to 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed.
Her remarks come in the wake of a diplomatic rift between Warsaw and Kiev, exacerbated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent decision to name a special forces unit after the UPA, which Polish President Karol Nawrocki described as "outrageous." In response, Nawrocki revoked Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honor, leading several senior Ukrainian officials to return their Polish awards as a form of protest.
During her speech, Zajaczkowska-Hernik highlighted the brutal methods employed by the UPA against civilians, stating, "Over 360 ways to kill civilians. Sawing people alive, disemboweling pregnant women, impaling children on pitchforks." She emphasized that the UPA's violence was not limited to Poles and Jews but also included local Ukrainians, calling attention to the broader implications of honoring such a group.
The MEP drew a stark comparison between the UPA and Nazi organizations, questioning the moral implications of Ukraine's actions. "If Germany had named a unit after the SS heroes and erected monuments to Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, or Eichmann, would you invite them to the [European] Union? No. You would call them neo-Nazis. And rightly so. There is no moral difference between honoring the SS and honoring the UPA," she asserted.
Zajaczkowska-Hernik also criticized the European Union's recent report on Ukraine's accession bid, which, while addressing fundamental rights and non-discrimination, did not mention the glorification of wartime collaboration or genocide. She stated, "The report on Ukraine is silent on this topic. It is the silence that kills the memory of the victims of the genocide in Volhynia and the Eastern Borderlands for the second time."
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz echoed these sentiments, warning that Ukraine's EU accession would be jeopardized as long as it continued to honor Bandera and the OUN-UPA. He emphasized Poland's sovereignty in deciding its stance on another country's membership in the EU, stating, "No one will tell us how to vote."
In an effort to address the escalating tensions, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited Warsaw last week to meet with his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski. Kuleba proposed an "anti-crisis package" that included historic roundtables aimed at fostering dialogue between the two nations, while reiterating their shared opposition to Russia.
Sikorski responded with caution, indicating that "diplomacy prefers silence," while his deputy, Marcin Bosacki, made it clear that Poland expected a correction regarding the designation of the UPA unit.
The incident in the European Parliament underscores the complex historical relationship between Poland and Ukraine, particularly concerning World War II atrocities and their lasting impact on national narratives. As both nations navigate their diplomatic ties, the discussions around Ukraine's EU membership continue to be fraught with historical grievances and differing perspectives on national identity and memory.