Three years in prison if Nazi Germany crimes are attributed to Poles

The upper house of parliament voted 57-23, with two abstentions, to approve the bill. Pic/AFP

Poland's Senate has backed legislation regulating Holocaust speech, a move that has already strained relations with both Israel and the United States. The bill proposed by Poland's ruling conservative party and voted for early Thursday calls for up to three years in prison for any intentional attempt to falsely attribute the crimes of Nazi Germany to the Polish state or people. Though the bill exempts artistic and research work, it has raised concerns that the Polish state will decide itself what it considers to be facts.

Senators voted 57 to 23 in favour of the bill with two abstentions. To become law, the bill requires approval from President Andrzej Duda, who supports it. Though Deputy Justice Minister Patryk Jaki suggested Israel had been consulted on the bill and voiced no objections, many in Israel have argued that the move is an attempt to whitewash the role some Poles played in the killing of Jews during World War II.

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