On February 21, 2024, officers of the Polish Internal Security Agency, together with a prosecutor from the Institute of National Remembrance, entered the premises of an extremist far-right publishing house as part of legal proceedings initiated by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. The Institute of National Remembrance was established in 1998 with prosecutorial powers to document Nazi and Communist crimes perpetrated against the Polish state, and to present them to the public.
As part of the search, books and materials denying the Holocaust were seized from the publishing house. In response, the publishing house's owner directed his supporters to fundraising websites to raise funds for a legal battle against the Institute of National Remembrance and the Internal Security Agency.
The following report will provide an overview of news coverage of the raid by neo-Nazi and extremists in Poland, as well as the response by the publishing house itself.
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Polish Neo-Nazi Website Details Search Of White Supremacist Publishing House; Polish Antisemite Also Shares News Of Search
On February 21, a Polish neo-Nazi website published an article reading: "A prosecutor from the Institute of National Remembrance, together with officers of the Internal Security Agency, entered the premises of [a] right-wing publishing house. During the operation, the services confiscated several books on Jewish topics. Legal proceedings against the publishing house were initiated at the request of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim [...] The case concerns questioning of the truth of the mass murders of people of Jewish origin in the German concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. For this reason, the prosecutor from the Institute of National Remembrance was to confiscate several books, including the well-known title, 'Dangerous Topics,' by the late [Holocaust denier] Dr. Dariusz Ratajczak. According to the owner of the publishing house, an employee of the Institute selected books for confiscation based on their covers. On this basis, even publications that were over a hundred years old, or were works of fiction, were 'arrested.'"
On another website, a Polish antisemite and anti-Ukrainian activist shared an article on February 21, which reads: "Today [February 21] at 6 a.m., the prosecutor, assisted by officers of the Internal Security Agency, raided the house and the headquarters of a publishing house. Charges were brought and the books were confiscated [...] The reason for the search was the suspicion of 'denial of the mass murder of people of Jewish origin on the premises of the German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau' [...] Freedom of scientific research, freedom of speech, freedom of expressing one's thoughts and human freedom in Poland is something that does not exist, as I have found out. Police officers confiscated other books, including the publication of Fr. Stanisław Trzeciak, titled 'The Talmud on the Gentiles' [...]"
White Supremacist Owner Requests Donations For His Legal Fund To Sue The Institute Of National Remembrance And The Internal Security Agency
On February 21, the publishing house posted a video of its owner on Instagram. In the video, he states that the Institute of National Remembrance and the Internal Security Agency entered two of his private properties, which belonged to his publishing house, and confiscated about 30 books. The owner asked for donations to enable him to wage a legal battle against the institutions in question, and promoted a website for donations. The website allows for standard transfers, both from within Poland and abroad, directly to the bank account of the publishing house. The owner is also an active politician in an antisemitic parliamentary party on whose list he ran, unsuccessfully, in the parliamentary elections in 2023.
His fundraising website states: "On February 21, 2024, the ABW entered the headquarters of the publishing house, the registered address, the apartment of the company's owner and his summer plot. The reason was the search under Article 55 of the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, Article 1, point 1, which refers to questioning the mass killings of people of Jewish origin on the premises of the German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Therefore, the prosecutor secured, i.e. took away, the entire copies of 'Dangerous Topics,' 'Even More Dangerous Topics,' and 'Deadly Dangerous Topics,' as well as the covers. During talks with ABW officers, it was possible to save computer equipment that had not been secured, despite the prosecutor's great attempts. In this way, the publishing house continues to operate, and you can continue to order books from us."
The text on the site continues: "Importantly, the prosecutor walked around the publishing house and selectively selected covers that seemed criminal and murderous to him, then called his colleague and reported the possibility of a crime. So, while the activities were being carried out by the Internal Security Agency, the police came to the publishing house's headquarters and confiscated 9 books, including 3 historical books. In the face of the unprecedented aggression of the new government, which ordered the Internal Security Agency and the police to invade our publishing house and confiscate the books of the late Dariusz Ratajczak and several other significant works, we stand together to defend freedom of speech and truth. This action is a frontal attack on our common values!"
The website concluded: "We call on you to act immediately! We are opening a piggy bank for legal support to oppose this tyranny and defend our rights. Every contribution is an investment in freedom and a future where truth is not at risk. Let's not let fear and oppression dominate our lives. Together we can win this fight. The support of each of you is crucial. Let's regain our freedom. Now!"
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