Prominent Far-Right Author Targets Jews and Catholics in Controversial Interview in Poland
Photo by Arjen Klijs:
Piotr Szlachtowicz is a former staff member of the infamous Wrealu24 Youtube channel. Wrealu24 is a far-right media channel in Poland, known for promoting conspiracy theories and hate speech targeting minority groups, including Jewish and Muslim communities. The channel has been deleted for numerous instances of hate speech as documented by GTTO partner in Poland, the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association publicised report. Szlachtowicz is a formerly longtime far-right activist among the Polish community in the UK. In recent months, he established his own Youtube channel under the title “PSTV Peter Szlachtowicz”.
On October 23, 2024, Szlachtowicz’s channel aired an extensive interview with Paweł Lisicki, editor-in-chief of the right-wing weekly Do Rzeczy and a published author. Lisicki previously served as editor of the mainstream daily Rzeczpospolita.
The interview on YouTube was entitled: "How the Jews demolished the doctrine of the Church! The myth of the elder brothers in faith!” and was served as a promotion of Lisicki’s new book entitled “The myth of the elder brothers in faith”.
Both the host and guest on the interview were vocal in rejecting any form of understanding or dialogue between Christians and Jews and harshly criticised consecutive Catholic Popes for following a policy of dialogue with Jews and Judaism. Specifically, Lisicki noted how the Jewish community are not ‘brothers in the faith’ stating: “It is simply untrue – the Jews are not our elder brothers in faith”. Furthermore, Lisicki strongly condemned the Catholic church for giving in to “the pressure of Jewish circles in the name of a utopian concept of inter-religious dialogue”. Alongside this, Lisicki employed antisemitic tropes of historical revisionism, saying for example: “the Church has submitted to the Holocaustian [sic] narrative according to which the only privileged victims were the Jews”. He also spoke about an alleged “tyranny of the Holocaustian ideology”.
The phrase "tyranny of the Holocaustian ideology" is a deeply problematic term often used by far-right, revisionist, or extremist figures to dismiss or attack the significance of Holocaust remembrance. By labeling Holocaust remembrance in this way, it trivialises the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and opens the door to antisemitic rhetoric. Furthermore, Lisicki’s comment regarding the Church’s acknowledgement of Jewish suffering during the Holocaust suggests that it unfairly prioritises Jewish victimhood over others. This thinking diminishes Jewish persecution, creating a false narrative and serving to fuel division and antisemitism. The comments expressed by Lisicki are deeply troubling and risk undermining a horrific event and history of Jewish persecution alongside insulting the survivors and victims and their families.
The video’s rapid reach reaching 21,000 views in just four days, underscores the significant impact and influence such content can have. Platforms such as YouTube should not allow videos that spread hate to be disseminated, as such content fuels division, discrimination, and violence. Instead, such platforms should enforce their community standards to respond and react to instances of hate on their platform by removing the content promptly.
