Polish nationalists protest memorial to 1941 Jedwabne massacre, call it 'Jewish lies'
jpost.com
Polish nationalists calling the Jedwabne massacre a "Jewish lie" shows how a documented 1941 atrocity becomes a battleground for national identity and denial.
Collective Memory TheoryConspiracy TheoryScapegoat TheorySocial Identity Theory
Theory Briefing
- Polish nationalists protested a memorial to the 1941 Jedwabne massacre, where hundreds of Jewish residents were killed by their Polish neighbors.
- Protesters invoked 'Zydokomuna' — an antisemitic conspiracy theory equating Jews with communism — to reframe the massacre as fabricated Jewish propaganda.
- The denial of Jedwabne fits a pattern where national shame is recast as foreign slander to protect a collective self-image.
- Labeling a historically documented atrocity as 'Jewish lies' shows how conspiracy theories can serve as a shield against national guilt.