-- SUNDAY MARKS THE 32ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JAN JÓZEF LIPSKI. -- ADAM MICHNIK WROTE OF HIM: OUR TEACHER. JAN OLSZEWSKI: OUR PRESIDENT. JADWIGA KACZYŃSKA DEDICATED A BOOK TO HIM. HIS WRITINGS WERE PUBLISHED BY KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA, AND HIS BIOGRAPHY BY IPN. WHO WAS JAN JÓZEF LIPSKI? AN ARCHIVAL INTERVIEW OF GW WITH DR. ŁUKASZ GARBAL. https://wyborcza.pl/alehistoria/7,121681,27557637,jan-jozef-lipski-czlowiek-ktory-moglby-pozszywac-lewice-z.html *** -- AGNIESZKA DZIEMIANOWICZ-BĄK'S VERY UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT PREVENTS HER CAMPAIGN. STAN GRY WISHES HER A SWIFT RECOVERY: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/09/08/dziemianowicz-bak-miala-wypadek-poslanka-lewicy-ujawnia-co-dalej-z-jej-kampania/ -- SATURDAY'S POLITICAL AGENDA: PIS PROGRAM CONFERENCE, KO ON "100 CONCRETES FOR 100 DAYS", LEWICA PROGRAM CONVENTION AND THIRD WAY CONGRESS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/09/09/ -- THE DIFFERENCE IS SIMPLE, WE STAYED AT OUR POST, HE WILL GO TO BRUSSELS AGAIN - NEW PIS SPOT: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/09/09/konkrety-pis-vs-klamstwa-tuska-nowy-spot-pis/ -- ANOTHER POLL GIVES PIS A MAJORITY ON ITS OWN - AS AGNIESZKA KUBLIK WRITES IN GW: “Puls Opinii is a poll by the Opinia24 research firm, created by sociologists from the former Kantar Public. It will be published monthly. PiS leads with 33 percent. KO would receive 26 percent. Third is Konfederacja with 10 percent. Lewica has 8 percent and enters the Sejm (5 percent threshold). Trzecia Droga (i.e., the electoral bloc of PL 2050 and PSL) with 6 percent lands outside the Sejm (the threshold here is as high as 8 percent). 16 percent of those decided to vote have not yet decided whom to support. This means that the democratic opposition in the Sejm would consist of only two groupings – KO and Lewica – and together they would have roughly the same number of votes as PiS alone. In terms of mandates, PiS wins and governs for a third term.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30170069,nowy-sondaz-puls-opinii-kto-bedzie-trzecia-sila-w-nowym-sejmie.html -- ONE OF KONFEDERACJA'S SUPPORTERS READ THE "100 CONCRETES" KO POSTULATES FROM THE HTML CODE OF THE WEBSITE, WHICH WILL BE REVEALED ON SATURDAY: “We will introduce a bonus for the employed amounting to 50% of the minimum wage for caring for a dependent relative. We will introduce, among other things: a supplement for widows and widowers, which will restore dignity to those who have lost loved ones. We will lower taxes by introducing a tax-free allowance at the level of PLN 60,000 per year! Everyone who works will benefit! One of our postulates is to abolish Church Funds and change the way the Church is financed. We will end the cold war with Germany to gain influence over their policy towards the East and the war in Ukraine.” https://twitter.com/MBialasek/status/1700259680126439911?s=20 -- THIS IS A CAMPAIGN DICTATED BY LEFT-LIBERAL JOURNALISTS. THIS IS THEIR WAY OF THINKING, THEIR REFLEXES - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Moreover, if the leak had not occurred, the effect of these proposals would also be practically zero. The KO campaign is extremely amateurish, conducted blindly, without understanding the basic rules of political marketing. In my opinion, this is a campaign dictated by left-liberal journalists. This is their way of thinking, their reflexes, their illusion that they know Polish society. And they do not.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/661836-sily-lewicowo-liberalne-traca-moc-dyktowania-postaw -- JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL CLAIMS THAT THE DISMISSED DEPUTY MINISTER WAWRZYK RULED THE MFA AND COMMANDED RAU: “Dismissed Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk and Minister Zbigniew Rau pushed for Wawrzyk's trusted man, Jakub Osajda, to become ambassador to Iceland – Gazeta.pl has established. To such an extent that a few months ago Rau blackmailed President Andrzej Duda: either Osajda becomes ambassador, or no ambassadors will be appointed. (...) From our conversations with people from the Law and Justice camp, an image emerges of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a department that, although under Rau's leadership, Deputy Minister Piotr Wawrzyk played a very significant role there – Rau relied on him, while not controlling the MFA himself.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,30170006,msz-szantazowalo-andrzeja-dude-ujawniamy-jak-minister-od-wiz.html -- PO WILL RELEASE A XENOPHOBIC SPOT - ANTON AMBROZIAK IN OKO.PRESS: “Lack of trust in opponents is not the only common denominator of the PiS and KO campaigns. On Thursday, September 8, the government released an anti-refugee spot that was an almost exact copy of Russian propaganda about the West. Just a day later, on Friday, September 9, Civic Platform responded with a xenophobic clip. It was intended to refer to the corruption scandal related to the issuance of work visas for foreigners from outside the European Union. The matter is being investigated by the prosecutor's office and the CBA. PO argues that this is a fraud involving hundreds of thousands of people whom PiS has admitted to Poland without any control. But the clip that went online today is not only anti-government material, but also xenophobic. "They scared, they scared, and they let them in themselves!" – we hear at the beginning of the clip. "It turns out. The PiS government invited 250,000 immigrants from Asia, from Africa to Poland.” https://oko.press/na-zywo/wybory-na-zywo-oko-press/8-wrzesnia-podsumowanie-dnia -- HOW ABOUT THE GREENS, IS NO ONE ILLEGAL? - ANNA MARIA ŻUKOWSKA ASKS ABOUT THE KO SPOT: https://twitter.com/AM_Zukowska/status/1700100775219778043?s=20 -- ALMOST PLN 24 BILLION FROM THE REVISED KPO COULD FLOW TO POLAND BY THE END OF 2023, PAULINA PACUŁA IN OKO.PRESS: “The revised KPO (supplemented with the REPowerUE chapter) may include completely new reforms and investments, but it is also possible to shift investments from existing KPO chapters to the new chapter. Such a maneuver carries certain financial benefits, especially for a country like Poland. From the REPowerUE program, advances of up to 20 percent of the value of funds requested by a Member State can be obtained. The payment of advances is not subject to any additional requirements, i.e., it does not require the fulfillment of milestones. The advance is calculated from the amount allocated to the REPowerUE program, not the entire KPO. In Poland's case, this means 20 percent of the amount of EUR 25.76 billion, not EUR 60 billion, which the entire plan amounts to after the changes. This means that almost PLN 24 billion from the revised KPO could flow to Poland by the end of 2023. The rest of the funds are still blocked.” -- ALTHOUGH IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE JUST A LOAN - PACUŁA CONTINUES: “With the judiciary so devastated as it is in Poland today, the risk of having to repay every euro of EU funds is present. It may turn out that the 24 billion advance from REPowerUE, which the Polish government is seeking, is just a temporary loan.” https://oko.press/polska-kpo-zaliczki-zmiana-ke -- WILL AGNIESZKA HOLLAND'S FILM WEAKEN DONALD TUSK? - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “The right will say that the director's intent expresses Tusk's true intentions. Celebrities, including artists, have often been identified with opposition politicians. Or perhaps the whole thing will play no role, the film will be considered too elitist by viewers and barely noticed. However, scandal drives people to cinemas. I think Agnieszka Holland is not fulfilling German instructions naturally. On the one hand, she has gained the ambition of a political tribune speaking directly through films – such politicization, apart from exceptional situations, does not serve art. At the same time, as blogger Zbigniew Szczęsny wrote, the artist has fallen prey to the epidemic of "good intentions." She is guided by good intentions, but their consequence is undermining institutions that are still needed by us.” -- ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE THAT IN VERY FEW MATTERS DOES THE RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT, IN POWER FOR EIGHT YEARS, HAVE AS MUCH RIGHT AS IN THE DISPUTE OVER THE PROTECTION OR DEFENSE OF THE BORDER WITH BELARUS - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “Actually, I believe that in very few matters does the right-wing government, in power for eight years, have as much right as in the dispute over the protection or defense of the border with Belarus. At the same time, Ziobro could be more circumspect in his comparisons; this is unfortunately the typical language of current Polish public life, where there is no talk of attributing any intentions other than the worst to the opponent. Incidentally, this is not only ugly language, but perhaps also less effective. When you always go all out, you don't always win.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-czy-film-agnieszki-holland-oslabi-donalda-tuska,nId,7013259 -- I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE HATRED TOWARDS DONALD TUSK - BOGUSŁAW CHRABOTA IN RZ: “If one were to add to this the internet campaign directed personally against Tusk, with tens of millions of views, one would obtain a degree of systematic attack on an individual person that has never been seen before in Polish history. It is difficult to count the terabytes of negative impulses directed at the former prime minister; it is possible that someone keeps such statistics, but the matter exceeds the limits of human imagination. It is difficult not to consider this kind of agitation as pure malice.” -- THE SCALE OF HATRED TOWARDS DONALD TUSK, FUELED BY LAW AND JUSTICE PEOPLE, WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS AN ECHO OF PROPAGANDA UNDER THE STÜRMER BANNER - CHRABOTA CONTINUES IN RZ: “I have no doubt, however, that the scale of hatred towards Donald Tusk, fueled by Law and Justice people, will go down in history as an echo of propaganda under the Stürmer banner.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39072341-boguslaw-chrabota-nie-godze-sie-na-hejt-wobec-donalda-tuska -- BY ATTACKING DONALD TUSK, MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI IS ATTACKING HIMSELF - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki leads the pack in attacking Tusk. It looks awkward when a former subordinate publicly attacks his former boss. Let's recall that in 2010, Morawiecki was appointed to the Economic Council under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, where he served for nearly two years. (...) Will he attack Jarosław Kaczyński in a few years for unreliability and lack of a program, when he changes his front again?” -- WILL SMALLER OPPOSITION FORMATIONS ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE PUSHED TO THE MARGINS, AND WILL PO PLAY A POLARIZING GAME WITH PIS? - NIZINKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN RZ: “The further into the PiS campaign, the more Tusk and PO will be in it. Civic Platform will gain short-term poll points, but may only lose electorally. Civic Coalition needs partners for potential governance. Will smaller opposition formations allow themselves to be pushed to the margins, and will PO play a polarizing game with PiS? We will find out on Saturday.” https://www.rp.pl/publicystyka/art39078771-jacek-nizinkiewicz-dlaczego-pis-skonczyly-sie-konkrety-i-partia-uruchomila-hejt-na-tuska -- I HAVE REVIEWED THE CIVIC PLATFORM SOCIAL MEDIA. I WAS FLOODED WITH A WAVE OF SHITCONTENT - JAN RADOMSKI IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “Eight years ago, Law and Justice won the elections thanks to the Family 500+ Program precisely because they knew how to talk about it. Back then, no one read programs either. I tried to find something in Civic Coalition's social media that could be this year's narrative, but instead, I was flooded with a wave of shitcontent: unfunny memes and crude propaganda.” -- I HAVEN'T FELT SO TIRED IN A LONG TIME AS I DID AFTER SPENDING A FEW HOURS WITH CIVIC PLATFORM SOCIAL MEDIA - RADOMSKI CONTINUES: “However, my impressions were worse than the dry numbers. I haven't felt so tired in a long time as I did after spending a few hours with Civic Platform's social media. Both the positive and negative messages are built on exceptionally crude propaganda. The daily post with a smiling Tusk and the information "X days left until victory!" gives the impression that the people managing Civic Coalition's social media live in a different world. And perhaps they do, because the only polls we find there are those where the support of the liberal opposition is growing. For this reason, no poll has been published for a long time outside of... a study of the electoral potential of political parties, which, of course, shows that the potential of Civic Coalition is the largest.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/ko-media-spolecznosciowe-brak-programu/ -- TODAY, THE HIGHEST FORM OF CRITICISM OF TUSK'S DECISIONS WITHIN HIS CAMP IS... REMAINING SILENT - JACEK GĄDEK IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “Today, the highest form of criticism of Tusk's decisions within his camp is... remaining silent. Others, meanwhile, praise the leader's wisdom and courage. Sometimes genuinely, sometimes theatrically. A Tusk associate: – He's not afraid to get his hands dirty. If Donald decides something will bring him closer to victory, he doesn't hesitate, he takes risks. The Democratic Union wanted to be elegant, and where is it now?” -- TRZASKOWSKI IS THE MAN FOR SHINING, FOND OF EUROPEAN AND WORLD POLITICS, NOT FOR PARTY ORCHESTRAS - GĄDEK CONTINUES IN TYGODNIK: “Only Rafał Trzaskowski – the mayor of Warsaw and deputy leader of PO – enjoys popularity that could keep Platform afloat without Tusk. The problem with the mayor of Warsaw, however, is that he is a man for shining, fond of European and world politics, not for party orchestras.” -- HE WAS ALSO READY TO ATTACK TVN FOR MARCIN GUTOWSKI'S REPORT - GĄDEK CONTINUES: “At the same time, Tusk publicly defends John Paul II and often quotes him. During a rally in Legionowo, he said: "Do not be afraid. I apologize for quoting a great Pole, a great Pope, but these words (...) fit exceptionally well" – he argued, referring to the PiS government. He was also ready to attack TVN for Marcin Gutowski's report "Franciszkańska 3" about the Pope's stance towards priest pedophiles at a time when Karol Wojtyła was the Archbishop of Krakow. He said it was an "unfortunate" and "poorly prepared" program, "generating more emotion than providing information.” -- WHEN TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRANTS, HE SOMETIMES USES LANGUAGE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO KONFEDERACJA'S. HOWEVER, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO REGAIN CREDIBILITY IN THIS AREA - GĄDEK WRITES FURTHER IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “PiS exploits its image as a strong government that keeps its word, while Tusk stumbled at the barrier as if he hadn't read his own – insightful – book. All that's left for him is to convince that he never said the wall wouldn't be built. Indeed, he now even suggests that he himself would build a truly impenetrable wall. When talking about immigrants, he sometimes uses language almost identical to Konfederacja's. However, it will be difficult for him to regain credibility in this area.” -- AS IF HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THE MOST VALUABLE VOTERS FOR THE OPPOSITION ARE THE UNDECIDED AND WITHDRAWN ONES, WHICH MAY BE AS MUCH AS SEVERAL PERCENT. TUSK IS UNABLE OR, AT THIS STAGE OF THE CAMPAIGN, DOES NOT YET WANT TO CAPTURE THE EMOTIONS OF THESE VOTERS - GĄDEK'S CONCLUSION IN TYGODNIK: “According to Tusk, today's choice is between good and evil. Period. With such a Manichean narrative, he alienates a part of the center electorate himself, especially those (using a word that is an insult in Tusk's mouth) who are symmeteristic, who say that "PiS is bad, but...". As if he doesn't understand that the most valuable voters for the opposition are the undecided and withdrawn ones, which may be as much as several percent. Tusk is unable or, at this stage of the campaign, does not yet want to capture the emotions of these voters – he prefers to radicalize them. He wants others to admit, even impossibly: we were deaf and stupid, because we dared to say "but". https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/donald-tusk-idzie-po-wladze-inna-droga-niz-kiedys-184497 -- THE RULING PARTY RESORTS TO METHODS THAT DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION VOTERS WOULD NOT ACCEPT IN THEIR PARTY'S STRATEGY. BUT THE PIS ELECTORATE TURNS A BLIND EYE TO THIS, AND THAT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE RULERS - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “However, no one in PiS pays attention to standards, law, or political culture; everything is subordinated to one goal – victory at all costs. Even if it means paralyzing and devastating state institutions.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30168563,pis-stosuje-stare-triki-i-nie-ma-wstydu-to-fundament-strategii.html -- KACZYŃSKI – ONE WOULD MALICIOUSLY ADD: AS EVIDENT – HE DOES NOT RUN AND PLAY FOOTBALL. PERHAPS THAT IS WHY HE IS SO FRUSTRATED, TORMENTED, UNHAPPY, BITTER, GLOOMY - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK IN GW: “Kaczyński – one would maliciously add: as evident – he does not run and play football. We haven't heard about his physical activity for all these decades. The only sport – as much as we know – that excites him is rodeo. He doesn't smoke cigars either, nor does he drink good wine. Perhaps that's why he is so frustrated, tormented, unhappy, bitter, and gloomy. That's why he burns with the desire to control other people's lives from conception to death. And he would like us to be frustrated, tormented, unhappy, bitter, and gloomy too. Then it won't matter to us whether anything changes.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,30162696,na-kogo-zaglosuja-ci-co-harataja-w-gale-jezdza-na-rowerze.html -- IN THE EIGHTH YEAR OF PIŚ RULE, A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE FOURTH ESTATE, POPULAR OPINION MAKERS, SYMMETRICISTS, AND POLITICIANS TRAINED IN CONVENIENCE POLITICS MAINTAIN THE MYTH OF NORMALIZATION - PRZEMYSŁAW SZUBARTOWICZ IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “In the eighth year of PiS rule, a significant part of the fourth estate, popular opinion makers, symmetrists, and politicians trained in convenience politics maintain the myth of normalization, as if they were afraid of the truth. Thus, they claim that perhaps Kaczyński overdid it here and there, but talking about authoritarianism or dictatorship is pathetic bombast without real confirmation. They nullify – through forgetting or downplaying – all the blasphemies of the authorities, including the assault on the constitution, because legal controversies are the salt of democracy, and besides, predecessors are not without fault. They harshly judge the opposition for the allegedly brutal language with which it tries to describe the last incomplete decade of the United Right's rule, while completely ignoring the obscene performances of the ruling party's leader, who has directly expelled the opposition leader from the national community. When Kaczyński and his companions insult Donald Tusk, commentators do not even bat an eye, because the PiS chairman has such a style, but every sharper voice against the authorities is treated by them as hate speech and aggression. The opposition must, after all, be cultured, even if it is of a lower sort.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2225920,1,czesc-mediow-i-dziennikarzy-od-osmiu-lat-kreuje-wielkie-oszustwo-mit-normalizacji.read -- ANDRZEJ SEWERYN CAME TO ME TO SUPPORT HIS POLISH THEATRE, WHICH I DID, TAKING ON ITS CO-FINANCING. HE DID NOT TELL ME THEN TO GET OUT... - PIOTR GLINSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: “Yes and no. I could name dozens of artists with whom I meet – as a minister. Just now with Tomasz Konieczny regarding his Baltic Opera Festival. At the same time, a large part of the community treats me as a politician from the camp they hate. I receive everyone, including those who later spit on me or our community. Andrzej Seweryn came to me to support his Polish Theatre, which I did, taking on its co-financing. He didn't tell me then to get out…” -- WE HAVE EXPANDED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BENEFITING FROM OUR CULTURAL POLICY. HOWEVER, ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO IMPOSE A SANITARY CORDON ON US - GLINSKI TELLS ZAREMBA IN RZ: “But this statement characterizes, unfortunately, that community. Shortly after it was published, I received a letter from him, seemingly sent earlier, asking for help with another theatrical project. And how am I supposed to react, knowing that on the other side there is such a level of hatred and contempt? How are we to build Polish culture together? Nevertheless, I have the impression that we have expanded the number of people benefiting from our cultural policy. However, on the other hand, they are still trying to impose a sanitary cordon on us.” -- AND HOW AM I TO EXPLAIN TO OUR VOTERS THAT WE NEED TO CREATE A SPECIAL PENSION FUND, WHICH THIS LAW PROPOSES, FOR MS. JANDA OR MR. SEWERYN? POLITICALLY, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT TODAY - GLIŃSKI CONTINUES TO ZAREMBA: “And how am I to explain to our voters that we need to create a special pension fund, which this law proposes, for Ms. Janda or Mr. Seweryn? Of course, it wouldn't be a fund just for them, but for 80% of artists who sometimes have difficult financial situations. We know this, but politically, it is impossible to implement today, because celebrities have given themselves the right to insult not only us but also a significant part of Polish society. Nevertheless, we have done a few things for artists, such as restoring more favorable tax rules that Donald Tusk took away from them, or the Culture Support Fund and 50,000 social benefits during the pandemic.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39072191-piotr-glinski-dbamy-o-artystow-lepiej-niz-poprzednicy -- I WISH THAT THE MODEL OF A POLISH MAN AND WOMAN WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO CANNOT BE CATEGORIZED - MARCIN MATCZAK IN GW: “Regain faith in the idea that a person does not have to belong to anyone. That one can speak without agitating. That tradition can be a source of wisdom, not superstition. That openness can be an advantage, not a flaw of a naive person. I wish that the model of a Polish man and woman would be someone who cannot be categorized. That it would be shameful to be easily cataloged. That the uniqueness of a label (leftist, Catholic, liberal) would be not only the fault of the one applying it, but also of the one to whom it is easily attached. That the fact that you are primarily a feminist, a defender of the Church, or a Legia fan means that something is wrong with you. That you are poor. Because a multi-dimensional person will find allies more easily – if they are also a music lover or a coffee enthusiast, more common ground can be found with them.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,30159863,marcin-matczak-odkad-nietzsche-obsmial-chrzescijanstwo-gore.html -- FRAGMENT OF PIOTR GŁUCHOWSKI'S TEXT IN GW ABOUT BOGUSŁAW WOŁOSZAŃSKI: “The leftist Rote Armee Fraktion was a Moscow-funded terrorist group that killed people and blew up houses. In 1977, they kidnapped, tortured, and finally murdered the president of the German employers' association. Seven years later, Hanns Martin Schleyer became – alongside Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof – a hero of the first of over a thousand episodes of "Sensations of the 20th Century." Of course, not a word was said about Moscow's inspiration for leftist terror in the Federal Republic of Germany.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,30138627,umowilem-sie-na-rozmowe-z-woloszanskim-pan-tez-mnie-obrzuci.html -- NAZI SCANDAL SHAKES BAVARIAN POLITICS, SIGNALLING THAT MANY GERMANS ARE FED UP WITH APOLOGIZING - POLITICO EUROPE: “A poll released Monday shows nearly 60 percent of Germans and more than 70 percent of Bavarians support Söder’s decision to keep Aiwanger. Suddenly, Germany’s long-held policy of zero tolerance for Nazi revisionism (the result of the country’s widely admired, uncompromising reckoning with its past) looked as if it were falling apart. “This shakes our basic democratic consensus,” Ricarda Lang, the co-chair of Germany’s Green Party, warned this week.” -- IN RECENT YEARS, GERMANY HAS ALSO EXPERIENCED A MARKED INCREASE IN ANTI-SEMITIC VIOLENCE AND OTHER INCIDENTS - POLITICO EUROPE CONTINUES: “In recent years, Germany has also experienced a marked increase in anti-Semitic violence and other incidents. According to Bundesverband RIAS, a group that tracks such violence since 2017, nearly 2,500 documented cases of anti-Semitic behavior, ranging from verbal assaults to physical injuries, were recorded across the country last year alone.” -- A PHOTOGRAPH PUBLISHED THIS WEEK SHOWS AIWANGER WITH HAIRSTYLE SIMILAR TO THE FÜHRER'S AND A MUSTACHE RESEMBLING A TOOTHBRUSH - POLITICO FURTHER: “Many of Aiwanger’s critics are convinced he is deliberately trying to stir up old spirits in a region that was the heart of Nazism under Hitler. A photograph published this week showing Aiwanger with a hairstyle similar to the Führer's and a mustache resembling a toothbrush has reinforced this impression.” https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-inglourious-bavarian-hubert-aiwanger/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Andrzej Smirnow, Andrzej Olechowski, Waldemar Sługocki. SUNDAY: Stanisław Gomułka turns 83, Tomasz Matynia 33, Tomasz Terlikowski, Andrzej Dera, Aleksander Łuczak, Łukasz Kohut, Łukasz Gibała, Dominik Uhlig, Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, Bartłomiej Radziejewski, Elżbieta Komorowska.