Half of Poles want German reparations and publication of the report on damages inflicted during World War II, poll shows

As Nazi Germany starts the invasion of its neighbor Poland in the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, these German soldiers tear down a barrier at the German-Polish border, near Gdynia. (AP Photo)
By Grzegorz Adamczyk
2 Min Read

More than half of Poles agreed the country should make an effort to ensure the payment of reparations for damages incurred by Germany during World War II, a new poll revealed.

In a survey conducted by pollster Estymator for portal dorzeczy.pl, 50.3 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, while 43.1 percent disagreed — 6.6 percent didn’t know whether they agreed or not.

When asked in which institutions the Polish government should fight for the payment of the reparations, 37.4 percent of respondents chose “arbitration and international courts,” 21.6 percent chose “the European Union,” 14.1 percent “the Council of the European Union,” 10.9 percent “German courts,” and 10.2 percent opted for “Polish courts.”

The answer “other institutions” was chosen by 2.7 percent, while 28.4 percent did not have an opinion on the matter.

Meanwhile, 56.5 percent of respondents believed that a report being prepared for Sept. 1, the 73rd anniversary of the Nazi Germany invasion of Poland, regarding Poland’s war losses during World War II is needed.

However, 36.6 percent are of the opposite opinion: 17.5 percent believed that the report is “definitely” not needed, while 19.1 felt that it is “rather” not needed — 6.9 percent of respondents did not have an opinion on this subject.

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