Those, who are surprised to see @pontifex siding with Putin remember that this is not a new thing.
It's a little remembered fact but on 1st of September 1939 Poland was invaded not only by Nazi Germany but also by Slovakia. Slovakia occupied small parts of Spisz and Orawa 1/x
- respectably East and West of Nowy Targ.
While this was not really a significant historical event, it was part of the activities of the First Slovak Republic, a puppet Nazi state. Why I am writing about it in the Pope's context you might ask? 2/x
Because it's leader - first a prime minister and then its president was one Jozef Tiso - a Catholic priest (pictured on the right).
He was a total Nazi who persecuted Jews, sabotaged anti-Nazi resistance, submitted his country to Hitler and so on. Terrible guy. 3/x
He was captured after the war and hung for his crimes.
So what was the Vatican doing about it? Have they stripped him of his priestship? Excommunicated him?
No. They were just asking him nicely to perhaps not do that Holocaust thing so eagerly. 4/x
They never really condemned Tiso to this day. Even when pope Francis was in Slovakia a couple of years back, he spoke something about it being a "place [where] the name of God was dishonored". He didn't bothered to mention his fellow member of the clergy 5/x
And this is just one example. Poles can talk about much more:
- Bishops were actively supporting Targowica Confederation, a Russian-inspired conspiracy that opposed democratic reforms in Poland (3rd May Constitution) and 6/x
...called for division of Poland into smaller states instead (so they could be controlled by Russia easily - what else is new?)
- the Pope condemned Polish uprisings against occupation forces and instructed the clergy to tell people to submit to legitimate government (by... 7/x
...legitimate they, of course, considered the governments of Prussia, Russia and Austro-Hungary that occupied Poland).
- there are many more examples, like when Poland was being invaded, Vatican was usually very quick to, for example, adjust the diocese borders to match the 8/x
borders of the occupying states, but when Poland was regaining its independence, Vatican was one of the last to recognize the newly independent Polish state and adjust their own structure accordingly (Gorzów Wielkopolski was part of Berlin Diocezy until 1972!)! And so on.... 9/x
To sum it up, I am not holding my breath for Vatican to stand with Ukraine any time soon. They were always supporting the empires because they themselves are a kind of one. 10/10
(pic: @Pawelkuczynski1 )
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I looked into comments under article about Operation Brain that says trucks are being stacked on M20 to prevent tourists from being stacked in the queue. The article is in the Polish portal about road transport that is largely read by drivers and other people from the industry 🧵
"they should introduce 'operation brain' - for themselves".
"Are they out of their minds?"
"Let those tourists bring the goods back themselves on the way back, this is not the way to treat people who deliver goods to them"
"It wasn't that bad, I waited 25 min to enter port...
...and I am on the ferry already".
"I was through it once, it's a disaster".
And here my personal favourite:
"Those who drive [trucks] to the UK no longer find circus funny".
(all prices at this job board are given in either euro or polish złoty)
The lowest offer for Ireland I found so far starts from €2450. And it's in some small town so I guess much cheaper.lovong than in London (most of offers for England are for London areas).
Hospital nurse in Germany starts from €5500 there. Care home nurse from €2700.
A guy drove into my car at New Gorbals in Glasgow. We were just heading home as my then partner was preparing to fly to Poland. Car was drivable still, but had no lights, no rear window and the bent metal was scratching my wheel.
1/
A friend lend me his car and I drove her to the ariport, then dropped a car off at his place and went for my night shift run to Inverness. I developed a terrible pain in my leg and my back, I barely made it back. On return I went to A&E. 2/
I've noticed a new worrying trend of how Russian propaganda is leaking into Poland and how Poles slowly turn against Ukrainians. I heard it in person too, but let me use one example which, I think, will make a good case study (a 🧵):
1. This is a Facebook profile of a Polish transport industry portal. The article talks about a fleet of new Iveco light trucks for the Ukrainian government presented at the picture of the bodybuilder in Kiyv. The author points out to the destroyed building in the background.
2. The most common reaction to this post is... laughter:
What is so funny for the Polish commenters? Let's browse the comments:
I am watching this movie about a bit come back of trams to French cities and have to say one of the good things about communist Poland is that due to being poor and unable to afford buses...
...while at the time had a very limited need for extra traffic lines due to scarcity of private cars, at least in the big cities (but also in some small ones) trams remained and sometimes the networks were even expanded. So while other cities start from scratch, we're well ahead!
This is a timelapse of the junction in the city centre of Wrocław I made last year. Just try to count how many trams pass this place!
Update on that matter: 40ton.net/protest-kierow…
The company owner reported drivers to prosecutors for stealing his lorries. The German Trade Union of drivers that support the strikers told him, that he'll get his trucks back as soon, as drivers got paid the money he owes them.1/3
Trade unions across Europe (and also in South Korea: fb.watch/jUddGcGddB/) express their solidarity with the striking drivers. There is a growing pressure for big companies like Ikea, DHL, Mercedes etc. to stop using this guys companies (he has three) for their needs.
2/3
Also:
- the thugs from Rutkowski's "security" company are going to protest outside German embassy in Warsaw over "the unfair action of Polizei" that did not allow them to beat and intimidate the striking drivers.