Kaminski: “Migrants bring typhus & malaria”

More evidence on Michal Kaminski emerged this week with the revelation on last night’s Newsnight (25:40-38:50) that in 1993 – long after the fall of Communism – he distributed leaflets claiming migrants from the Soviet Union brought typhus and malaria.

His actions – while involved with the far-right Christian National Union which he helped found – was uncovered by the Polish anti-racist group Nidgy Wiecej, and is sure to raise fresh questions over the Conservative party’s relationship with Mr Kaminski.

He had always previously insisted he had only joined up with extreme right-wing groups, including the fascist National Rebirth of Poland (NOP), which he left before the fall of the Berlin Wall, because “it was a symbol of his opposition to Communism”.

Even more recently, in 2001, a decade after the end of Communism, he “helped inspire a deeply anti-Semitic atmosphere” in Jedwabne, adds the report. In an interview, Maria Mazurczyk, a member of the Committee to Defend the Good Name of Jedwabne, said of him:

“I remember at the meeting he invited older people who remembered those times, those who had been driven out to Siberia, to say that they had not just been driven out because of the Russians, but above all because of their neighbours, the Jews.”

And leading Polish journalist Anna Bikont, of Gazeta Wyborcza, said:

“Kaminski came to the place where an incredible crime was committed, and he told not about the women, children, old people who died in this horrible manner, but he told about Jews who collaborated with Soviets and who killed Poles.

“It’s not important what you have in your soul, but how you act, and he acted at this time like an anti-Semitic person … Maybe he did it only because he wanted to have votes from Jedwabne, but also it’s not a good recommendation for a politician to do things only for votes.”

In response, the only man the Conservative party could summon to defend their position was far-Right MEP Daniel Hannan (38:50-45:26), who a fortnight ago resigned from their front bench over David Cameron’s u-turn on the Lisbon treaty.