The bill itself passed in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the upper house of the Polish parliament declaring 52 votes to 23 on the matter.
The regulations of the bill outline that anyone who uses phrases such as “Polish death camps” will either be served a fine or potentially face a three-year jail sentence. This bill amendment must however be approved by the President before entering into the law.
As for responses, critics argue that the bill advocates free speech, however some display the contention that the Polish state are only looking for a way to rewrite history.
The nation of Israel itself is displaying furious diplomatic opposition to the news, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the bill as an excuse to deny the Holocaust completely.
That being articulated, a stifling concern about the bill is whether it will negate any evidence that the Poles have in fact engaged with the Nazis in the past. Historians themselves say that there are clear references to this complicity.
Isreali Centrist MP Yair Lapin tweeted that the bill does not have any impact on actual history.
Furthermore, Holocaust survivor and Israeli author Halina Birenbaum coined the bill as “madness” and told local media that it was "ludicrous and disproportionate to what actually happened to Jews there”.
The United States have also expressed urges for Poland to rethink its decision, arguing that the bill has the capacity to “undermine free speech and academic discourse”.
In an addressing statement, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert conveyed her worry that the bill would have a detrimental effect on Poland’s relations with its neighbouring nations.
Polish politicians themselves display confusion at the conflicting responses that their nation is getting.
Senate speaker Stanislaw Karczweski said in a statement: “We are very sad and surprised our fight for the truth, for the dignity of Poles, is perceived and interpreted in this way,"
In further defending the Senate’s decision, Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Warchol made the assertion:
"Poland is a democratic state of law which respects the freedom of public debate, scientific research, and the right to criticism,"
Nevertheless, the wider nation of Poland does not seem to agree with their Senate’s decision. This is due to approximately 100 Polish journalists, artists and also politicians having signed an open letter campaigning for the repeal of the bill.
Tags: #Holocaustbill #Polishsenate #Poland #Holocaust
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