Cross Not a Totem: Bąkiewicz Forgot the Gospel, Says Analyst

Robert Bąkiewicz and activists from the Border Defense Movement (ROG) traveled to Berlin to hold a protest without proper authorization. During the demonstration, they chanted anti-German slogans and intended to place a cross near a monument to Polish victims. German police intervened, halting the action.

Bąkiewicz's supporters view him as a hero, generating publicity and narratives of Polish victimhood. However, the author argues that this instrumentalizes the cross, turning it into a symbol of dispute rather than reconciliation. The cross, in Christian tradition, represents forgiveness and peace, not a tribal or political totem used to dwell on past grievances. Forgiveness, the author notes, involves acknowledging real wrongs without using them against others, a concept echoed in the Lord's Prayer.

Christian churches in Poland and Germany have historically used the cross to foster reconciliation. The author cites the Polish bishops' message of "we forgive and ask for forgiveness" as a testament to this possibility. Bąkiewicz's actions, described as neo-pagan and totemic, contradict this Christian ethos by making the cross a source of conflict. The author also reminds readers that protests require permits, and police intervention is a consequence of disregarding regulations, urging against hiding behind the cross with slogans.

While acknowledging the protest's success in generating attention for ROG and potentially serving PiS's anti-German narrative, the author deems it detrimental to historical policy and security. Such actions, driven by current political expediency, are ultimately counterproductive for building a sound historical and security strategy.