Marcin Wojciechowski on the dark side of the Warsaw Uprising

Sixty-six years after the capitulation of the Warsaw Uprising former insurgents have for the first time asked for forgiveness from the city's residents for the suffering they endured during the violence. Marcin Wojciechowski of the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza is one of the first columnists in Poland to dwell on the dark side of the much glorified event: "Today one can safely say: politically and militarily the Uprising was a catastrophe, although of course one must praise the participants for their valour. ... A special part of the commemorations of the Uprising should be dedicated to the memory of the 150,000 civilians who died during the fighting. Unfortunately the Warsaw Uprising Museum only does this sporadically. It glorifies the insurgents, the boy scouts and even the Western pilots who dropped weapons over the city. But too little is said about the suffering and sacrifices of the average citizens. And when these are evoked, then only along the lines: 'It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.' Today - in these times of freedom and independence - one must learn how sweet it is to live for one's country."

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