‘There Cannot be Any Accommodation with Fascism.’ In Memory of Marcin Kornak
Attacks on foreigners and minorities, racist threats and insults as well as marches by extreme-right groups have become commonplace in Poland. Marcin Kornak (1968-2014), founder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, warned against extreme nationalism and impunity of neo-fascists as early as the mid-1990s. The magazine that he created, ‘NEVER AGAIN’ – ‘NIGDY WIECEJ’, is commemorating his stance with a special issue.
It contains over 200 pages of articles, analyses and opinion pieces from renowned academics, activists and journalists including Adam Michnik, the editor of Poland’s main newspaper ‘Gazeta Wyborcza’, and many others.
-‘Marcin Kornak’s contribution to the building of a modern, open and tolerant society was exceptional and will continue to be an inspiration for future generations of those who have the sensitivity and energy to act’, wrote the former Foreign Minister and Speaker of Parliament, Radoslaw Sikorski. Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski eulogized Marcin Kornak’s achievements: ‘He was a brave person with a big heart who devoted many years to creating a world without discrimination. He initiated many wonderful initiatives to promote tolerance and multiculturalism that have enriched our society.’
The new issue of ‘NIGDY WIECEJ’ also contains articles about xenophobia and nationalist populism that escalated during the humanitarian crisis affecting refugees from North Africa and the Middle East. Wojciech Burszta, Aleksander Smolar and Marcin Czerwinski focus on how public reporting of the refugee crisis led to an exacerbation of xenophobic attitudes and violence in many European societies.