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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-10 Daily Xml
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POLISH TRAGEDIES

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (12:03): I move:

That this house—

(a) expresses its concern and sympathy to the Polish people following the tragic loss of life in the recent plane crash; and also

(b) acknowledges the brutal slaughter of 22,000 Polish officers and others at Katyn and elsewhere by Stalinist forces 70 years ago.

We know that the plane crash happened almost 12 months ago, I think—on 10 April 2010, from memory—and the Katyn massacre goes back to 5 March 1940. Even though it is some time since that tragic plane crash, I think it is still worth putting this motion to the house.

I recall that the Premier introduced a motion of sympathy and condolence, and I was happy to see that dealt with earlier last year. I support the government, the opposition and other members who indicated their support for the condolence and sympathy motion put by the Premier and supported by the Leader of the Opposition.

The plane crash was a tragedy for the Polish people. They lost their president, his wife and 95 others. I believe the report into that crash is only just emerging now. I do not intend to go into the details of that, just to say that even though it is nearly a year ago I still express my sympathy to the Polish people.

The Katyn massacre was an awful thing. We know that humans are capable of good things—this is one of the most evil acts that was carried out during the Second World War. We often focus on what Hitler did, and he was an evil person who was supported by some evil henchpeople, and they killed a lot of people, not only Jewish people but other people, disabled people, gypsies and others. I think we need to remember that it was not only the Jewish people, as tragic and enormous and as evil as that crime was against Jews in Europe, but that Hitler also killed, or had killed, people who had disabilities of one kind or another and, as I say, gypsies and others.

Stalin ranks alongside Hitler as an evil tyrant. One example is the Katyn massacre where the Polish people lost a lot of their officers. People were taken to other places, they were not all army officers, some were doctors, professors, lawmakers, police, public servants, all sorts of, I guess, intelligentsia of Poland, and they were executed, either in the Katyn Forest or other places, as part of Stalin's cruel and evil purge.

I am not trying to minimise what Hitler did but I think it is important that we should remember the evil that was carried out by Stalin. It highlights the point that has been made by people wiser than I that if good people do nothing then evil people prosper, and I know they are not the exact words. When you look at history and, for example, at the German people, I have heard people argue, 'Why did the German people allow Hitler to do what he did?' Once he got into a position of power he was able to do what he liked, and likewise with Stalin.

So, I put this motion. I know that no-one here will object to it. While we have already had an expression of sympathy and condolence led by the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, I think it is important that the house itself, arising from a motion in this form, is supportive. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (12:08): I am pleased to support the motion moved by the member for Fisher. In doing so, I would like to acknowledge his longstanding interest in Poland and in international affairs generally. My contribution to this motion will be short because I believe I would be repeating the important comments that have been made during the 11 May condolence motion.

As the house is aware, the president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, his wife Marie and 94 other people were killed on Saturday 10 April 2010 in a plane crash in Russia. The thing that made this event even more terrible was the historically significant circumstances in which it occurred. The plane was carrying people on their way to visit Russia to attend commemorations for the loss of an earlier group of Polish leaders and heroes, the more than 21,000 Polish military officers, and others, slaughtered by the Russian forces in the notorious Katyn massacre of 1940.

The incident was made awful by the fact that the aircraft crashed near a forest where some of the victims of Katyn were shot 70 years ago. Horrific as the events of 1940 were, it is important to recount for a moment the true enormity of the Katyn massacre. Indeed, the president himself, prepared a moving speech for the proposed commemoration, a speech he was never to deliver, which provides us today with telling detail.

He was going to say in his speech that a total of 21,768 Polish prisoners were slaughtered in Katyn and five other locations, and this was done in the most brutal of circumstances. The Polish soldiers were tied up and killed with a shot in the back of the head. They were then rudely thrown into deep ditches, their bodies cloaked in uniforms that sported buttons featuring the Polish symbol of an eagle.

Besides generals, regular officers and soldiers, Poland was senselessly robbed as well of policemen, professors, village teachers and military chaplains of various religious denominations. All these folk were killed at the behest of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Politburo, and of course without even the pretence of a trial or court decision. The only justification issued was that the Polish prisoners were 'declared enemies of the Soviet Union, with no hope of re-education'.

It is important that we acknowledge the grief that was witnessed by the South Australian Polish community, which united in their grief. This community, which has always been a close-knit and compassionate one, demonstrated great dignity and immediately came together to comfort each other when the news about the deaths in Russia reached them. Following this, it was humbling to see members of the community present in the public gallery on 11 May when this house heard the Premier's condolence motion relating to the tragic loss of the President and other leaders of Poland.

I take this opportunity once again to extend not only my own sympathy but also the sympathy of all members in this place to both the people of Poland and the entire Polish community in our state. I commend this motion to the house.

Motion carried.

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