'Fight against Banderism' move from Polish President Nawrocki
Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced that he has prepared a new draft law that makes the transition to citizenship difficult and contains articles against the ideology of "Banderism". Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that 63 people, 57 of whom are Ukrainians, will be deported after the controversial concert.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced that he has prepared a bill that tightens the process of transition to national citizenship and aims to "end Banderaism".
The bill includes increasing the residence period required for citizenship and the imposing restrictions on people with certain ideologies.
In his statement on the subject, Nawrocki said, "In the bill I have prepared, I propose new conditions not only for Ukraine but also for those from other countries. The process of gaining Polish citizenship should be longer," he said.
The residence period for citizenship can be up to 10 years
The bill proposed by President Nawrocki provides for the increase in the residence period required for citizenship from three to 10 years.
The bill also plans to impose special restrictions on those who defend the ideology of Ukrainian Nazi collaborator nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.
Nawrocki also proposed to aggravate penalties for illegal border crossings.
Controversial concert brought deportation decisions
These developments came after the events that took place at the concert of Belarusian rapper Maks Korj at the National Stadium in Warsaw on August 9.
During the concert, some spectators crossed the barricades and Ukrainian participants raised flags belonging to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), known as an extremist organisation in Russia, caused political controversy.
The Polish authorities harshly criticized what happened. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a criminal investigation has been launched against a total of 63 people, 57 of whom are Ukrainian and 6 of whom are citizens of Belarus, regarding the events. Tusk also stated that these people will be deported.
Who is Stepan Bandera?
Stepan Bandera became one of the leading figures of the Ukrainian nationalist movement in the middle of the 20th century.
He was born in Western Ukraine in 1909 and was part of the leadership of the Ukrainian Nationalist Organization (OUN) in the 1930s. He led the radical wing of the organization during the Second World War.
Bandera collaborated with Nazi Germany in eastern Galgia and participated in genocide actions against Jews, Poles and other peoples of the region during this period.