Belarusian Diaspora in Switzerland head refutes Polish MFA's statement

Deputy chairperson of the Association of Belarusians in Switzerland Alyaksandr Sapeha has refuted Polish MFA’s explanation of Tadeusz Kościuszko monument scandal.

The Belarusian association wanted to erect a monument to the famous native of what is now called Belarus in Solothurn, the city where he died. Money was raised and the sculpture was created. However, the local authorities removed the Belarusian inscription and all mentions of Belarus from the monument at the last moment. It was uninitiated by the Polish Embassy that protested against the mention of Kościuszko’s Belarusian origin.  

In light of the scandal, Polish MFA made an official statement. It said: ‘Kościuszko was a universal hero of the humanity’. Poland was against that fact that Kościuszko’s connection with Poland was not mentioned on the monument. It was called unacceptable.

Alyaksandr Sapeha showed Radio Liberty the cooperation letters he had been sending to the Polish Embassy in Bern for a few months. The Polish MFA is probably not informed properly, he reckons.

Sapeha says he sent the first letter asking for cooperation in the installation of the monument to Kościuszko in October 2016 but received no reply for eight months. Diplomats only responded on July 26, 2017: they suggested meeting Sapeha. The response was sent because of the pressure exercised by the Kościuszko Foundation in Krakow and a Polish MP, Sapeha noted.

Polish diplomats suggested that Sapeha only put the name of Tadeusz Kościuszko on the monument without the words ‘son of Belarus’.
 
“The Polish MFA has called him a universal hero. Why isn’t Poland protesting against that fact that many other monuments to Tadeusz Kościuszko have the words ‘son of Poland’ on them?” the Belarusian wonders.

Only Belarusians donated money to install the monument, he reminded. The sculpture will be unveiled on October 21.