A Misleading Headline Obscures a Building EU Controversy
The controversies are over immigration and respect for traditional values. The AFP headline doesn’t reflect in any way what the man discussed, while the article itself gives a few clues about the author’s distaste for him (bolds are mine):
France Has Too Much Freedom: Lech Walesa
VIENNA, Aug 30, 2006 (AFP) - Poland’s former president and legendary head of the Solidarity union, Lech Walesa, hailed the role played by the country’s current political leaders, the twin brothers Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, within the European Union as a counterpoint to the “French model”.
In an interview to appear Thursday in the Austrian daily Der Standard, Walesa said that “the French model, which is based on freedom, has not been effective and is bad. (But) if there did not exist people like Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, that is what would be chosen” for the future of the EU.
“France has built an open society, inviting Africans and Arabs to its country, building mosques, and not churches. And after there was fire in the streets,” the conservative former head of state and Nobel peace laureate said.
“You have to thank God there exist people like the Kaczynskis.”
The attitude of the new Polish government dominated by President Lech Kaczynski, and his twin, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the new prime minister, has raised concerns within the EU, especially regarding their positions in favor of the death penalty, opposition to homosexuality and alleged anti-Semitism.
Walesa is clearly objecting to France’s relatively open-borders attitude towards immigration (though there are signs that’s changing), and its secular, uber-tolerant society.
And I would bet lunch that when the AFP writer claims that Walesa spoke of too much “freedom,” the Nobel laureate really was referring to “license.” It’s the only context that makes sense. I would add a side bet that Walesa said “wrong” where the author claims “bad.”
After so many years under numerous oppressors, I tend to doubt that the Poles will allow themselves to be rolled over by a values-barren EU bureaucracy any time soon. This controversy can’t be wished away by Europhiles who would rather not deal with it.
