Polish officials ‘unwelcomed’ in the White House due to the Holocaust law

According to portal Onet.pl, which obtained a memo dated Feb. 20, Polish leaders, including President Andrzej Duda and PM Mateusz Morawiecki will not be allowed to meet with President Donald Trump or Vice-President Mike Pence until the controversial Holocaust law was repealed. The fact was later confirmed by Buzzfeed which spoke to an unnamed Polish diplomat. However, Polish officials are denying that such ban exists. “It’s not true, there is no ultimatum like this. I do not understand why someone wants to rock the boat,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki. In addition, according to Onet, several high-ranking US diplomats warned Polish officials that if the law is not revoked, US-Polish military cooperation, including the permanent presence of US troops on Polish soil might be “in danger.” The new law which sparked protests from both the US and Israel, according to its proponents, is to prevent people for accusing the Polish nation “against the facts of being responsible or complicit in the Nazi crimes committed by the Third German Reich.” But critics say the legislation could hinder debating history, thus harming freedom of expression and opening the way to Holocaust denial. When the bill was signed into the law by President Andrzej Duda and sent to the Constitutional Tribunal to verify if it’s not in breach of Polish constitution, ruling politicians said that it won’t be imposed until the Tribunal gives its ruling. However, a first lawsuit under the new law, against Argentinian daily Pagina 12 has been issued.