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Latest update: 10/04/2011
- Lech Kaczynski - plane crash - Poland
Divided Poles mark anniversary of plane crash
Poles took to the streets Sunday to commemorate the deaths of former president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, who perished in a plane crash one year ago. But the event has been marred by political divisions, says our correspondent in Warsaw.
AP - Church bells rang out across Poland on Sunday to mark the exact minute one year ago that President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others were killed in a plane crash in Russia.
Poles also filled churches and cemeteries and a large crowd gathered in front of the presidential palace, where Kaczynski and his wife Maria lived until their deaths in the crash near Smolensk, Russia, on April 10, 2010.
The crowd fell still at 8:41 a.m. local time and sirens wailed in central Warsaw while church bells pealed elsewhere.
Earlier, the loved ones of many victims gathered for a private Mass at Warsaw’s airport, the scene of some of last year’s most painful scenes, as 96 flag-draped coffins returned there over several days last year.
At the time, the country experienced a short period of national unity amid the shock of losing the president, first lady and many ranking military and civilian leaders.
The disaster, however, quickly deepened political and social divisions in the country, and in a sign of that, separate commemorative events are being held Sunday.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, President Bronislaw Komorowski and other politicians placed candles at a memorial plaque to the victims in a Warsaw military church. But Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw, marked the anniversary separately, placing a large wreath in front of the presidential palace.
Kaczynski and many of the others killed belonged to the nationalist conservative party Law and Justice, which Jaroslaw Kaczynski heads. That camp now blames Tusk’s government for selling out Poland’s interests by allowing Russia to lead the main investigation into the crash. Earlier this year the Russian investigators concluded that Poland bore full responsibility for the crash, sparking outrage in Poland.
The plane crashed while trying to land in heavy fog, and Tusk’s government acknowledges that most mistakes were made by the pilots and other Poles. But they also want Russia to acknowledge what role Russian air traffic controllers and the rudimentary state of the Russian airport might have played - issues avoided in the Russian report.
The sense of Russia avoiding responsibility has fueled rage and conspiracy theories among Kaczynski’s supporters.
Late Saturday hundreds marched past the presidential palace in central Warsaw carrying flags and chanting Kaczynski’s name. A large banner accused Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of being a murderer and Tusk of being a traitor.
They also demanded that Russia hand over important evidence and the wreckage of the plane.
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Comments (2)
Divided Poles
For sure this is not the problem of Jaroslaw Kaczynski - this i problem of deeply harmed Polish society.
As a matter of fact Polish people are not divided - there are predominantly rather confused and disgusted (see: last polls of public opinion) by the way of disaster victims' treatment
(Russian authorities undermined cooperation around the investigation on Smolensk tragedy e.g. not securing the wreck of the destroyed plane, finally the day before the anniversary of the catastrophe - there was replaced the epitaph as it turned out words about Katyn genocide have been erased). Unfortunately since the beginning part of Polish elites bear a part of responsibility for the wrong organized flight (lack of safety standards for air force one) as well those ones are permanently trying to reduce problem to resentment of the twin brother...
Mr J.Kaczynski, the twin
Mr J.Kaczynski, the twin brother of killed president, doesnt organise an anniversary in Poland. Its been organised by Polish society, conservative newspapers and institutions. The opposite party has nothing to do with it.
Its very important to understand that this tragedy hit whole society and this were ordinary people who got involved in the anneversary preperations.
Thanks to 'Gazeta Polska' (newspaper) and 'Solidarni 2010' (NGO) we can gather together on Warsaws streets.
Op
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