Zbigniew Hołdys, a founding figure of Poland’s rock scene and former member of the band Perfect, condemned Kaczyński’s comments in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), calling them “disgraceful” and comparing them to antisemitic rhetoric from Poland’s communist past.
“Kaczyński is an antisemite. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have uttered such disgraceful words about Anne Applebaum. His inner self wouldn’t allow it,” Hołdys wrote. “But instead, he chose to echo the rhetoric of Moczar and Gomułka from 1968. It’s awful.”
His post referred to the 1968 anti-Jewish campaign in communist Poland, when leaders Mieczysław Moczar and Władysław Gomułka orchestrated a purge targeting people of Jewish origin under the pretext of anti-Zionism, forcing thousands to flee the country.
Hołdys continued by praising Applebaum - a Pulitzer Prize-winning American-Polish journalist and historian - and expressed hope she would not be affected by the remarks, which he described as “vulgar.” He added that Kaczyński’s behaviour had left him “heartbroken.”
The comments came after Kaczyński, leader of the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, appeared to mock Applebaum and her husband, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, during a party rally. While not explicitly referencing her Jewish heritage, Kaczyński’s remarks have been widely interpreted as a veiled nod to nationalist and antisemitic sentiments.
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Source: X/@ZbigniewHoldys