Embassy Warsaw assists Civil Rights Program

Embassy Warsaw actively supported “Free2Choose,” a program combining Holocaust remembrance with a discussion on civil rights, in two different ways – by financing the project and by sending American officers to participate in student debates. In the fall of 2006, PAS Warsaw gave a small grant to the organizers “SPOTKANIA: Association of Education and Culture” to provide financial assistance in developing a tour of the community-based exhibition project “Anne Frank – a history for today” in Poland, combined with a multi-media debate program entitled “Free2Choose.” The “Anne Frank Interactive Exhibition” and the “Jews in Poland” were exhibited in high-schools in different areas of Poland.  The “Free2Choose” exhibition presented current examples from around the world of fundamental rights that clash with safeguarding democratic rule of law and held debates in which young people could discuss issues relating to freedom rights and watch film clips on the subject and talk about the issues presented in the films.

In March and April of 2007, three Embassy officers participated in debates which were part of the “Free2Choose.” Political Officer Dan Gedacht participated in the March 22nd debate in Konin, Consul Scott Renner spoke at the debate on March 30th in Minsk Mazowiecki, and on April 19th CAO Jim Wolfe visited Zbaszyn in western Poland. Generally, the officers who attended these student debates thought they were outstanding events, well organized, thought-provoking, and challenging. They talked about the differences in freedom of expression between Poland and the U.S. and answered a variety of questions related to civil rights and other related issues. The debates consisted of the students watching film clips presenting a scenario and at the end of each clip, a question was presented such as “Should neo-Nazis be allowed to march by a synagogue?”  The trainers placed "tak" (NO) and "nie" (YES) signs on opposite walls, then asked each student to sit by the sign which indicated his or her opinion.

In Konin, Gedacht discussed the death penalty and how groups like the Ku Klux Klan or the Communist Party can operate because of laws guaranteeing freedom of association and freedom of speech and was asked questions about the death penalty, abortion, and anti-Semitism. During the debate in Minsk Mazowiecki about the film clip showing Nazis demonstrating in front of a synagogue, Renner commented that in America this was allowable free speech and explained that, in the key US court case, a Jewish “liberal” lawyer represented the Nazis because of free speech concerns. Wolfe had a similar experience in Zbaszyn, where he joined the students in the debates, offering the U.S. perspective after the students had spoken their minds.  Afterwards, he spoke briefly on the U.S. experiences with the issues raised in the debates and used the gun control debate to illustrate how some rights questions continue to be raised by both sides in argument, even after a tragedy like the shootings at Virginia Tech (which took place earlier that week). He also took questions on issues ranging from treatment of American Indians to free speech.