(Jewish Group) Polish leaders block resolution that would have stopped restitution of property lost

[Behind the Aegis]

Polish leaders block resolution that would have stopped restitution of property lost during the Holocaust

Poland’s ruling party took a stand on Wednesday against a far-right push to stop the restitution of property owned by Jews and others before the Holocaust.

Far-right activists had gathered enough signatures to present a draft resolution to the Sejm, the lower house of Polish parliament, that would prohibit the redistribution of “heirless property”— property that belonged to private individuals, many of them Jews, who were killed in the Holocaust and whose heirs, if they exist, never filed for restitution.

“It is forbidden to take any actions aimed at satisfying claims regarding heirless property, including negotiations, entering into settlements, recognizing claims and actions relating to heirless property, consenting to mediation, directing parties to mediation or payment of cash benefits,” the draft states. It also states that Nazi Germany, not Poland, is responsible for what happened in Poland when it was occupied by Germany.

Speaking for the right-wing ruling Law and Justice party, lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk said the draft resolution was unnecessary, as “the problem of landless land in Poland does not really exist.”

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