Dariusz Ratajczak
Encyclopedia
Dariusz Ratajczak was a Polish
historian (formerly of the University of Opole
), publicist and right-wing activist. In 1999 he was convicted of Holocaust denial
in Poland.
, Upper Silesia
, Poland
. His father, Cyryl, moved from Greater Poland
to Opole after finishing Law studies. His mother, Alina Czuchryj arrived from Khodoriv
. Dariusz Ratajczak finished Opole high school and enrolled to Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
, as Ratajczak noted, because he wanted to make his father happy. From 1988 Ratajczak was working in the Opole higher education institution. Dariusz Ratajczak was a history lecturer at the University of Opole
until 1999, when he was dismissed following controversy about his book Dangerous Topics in which he asserted that the gas chambers at Auschwitz were used merely to delouse prisoners. He had published articles in right-wing magazines like Myśl Polska and cooperated with Najwyższy Czas!
, a weekly magazine of the political party Real Politics Union
, where he wrote articles on history.
, that Zyklon B
gas was used only for disinfecting, that there was no Nazi plan for the systematic murder of Jews
and that most Holocaust scholars "are adherents of a religion of the Holocaust". Rajtaczak would defend himself claiming that he only reproduced the Holocaust deniers claims to illustrate their point of view but did not endorse them.
Ratajczak's book triggered widespread public criticism and drew protests from numerous sources, including the director of the museum at the former Auschwitz death camp
, senator Wladyslaw Bartoszewski
Polish mainstream academic community and bishop of Lublin.
The University of Opole suspended Dariusz Ratajczak from his teachings in 1999. In the same year he was brought to local court, as denying the existence of the Holocaust is a criminal offence in Poland. In December 1999 a court in Opole
found Ratajczak guilty of breaching the Institute of National Remembrance
law that outlawed the denial of crimes against humanity committed by Nazi or by communist regimes in Poland
, but that his crime had caused "negligible harm to society". The reason for the low sentence was that Ratajczak's self-published book had only 230 copies and that in the second edition and public appearances he criticized the Holocaust denial
.
The verdict was criticized by some, like former victims of Nazi crimes, as too lenient. Two mainstream liberal Polish newspapers like Gazeta Wyborcza
and Rzeczpospolita
criticized the verdict in support of Ratajczaks' freedom of speech
. For Ratajczak support spoke and one of the leaders of League of Polish Families
party Ryszard Bender
, who during Radio Maria
broadcast, denied the fact that Auschwitz was a death camp, which caused another scandal in Poland.
At the end Dariusz Ratajczak was fired from University of Opole in 2000 and banned from teaching at universities for three years. During this time he worked as storeman.
In 2000 he became the European Associate for Adelaide Institute, Australia.
Ratajczak remained defiant and denied all charges, appealing for an outright acquittal
; his critics also appealed demanded a harsher sentence, including a prison term. Eventually after a series of appeals the verdict was upheld and the case dismissed in 2002.
A scandal surrounding a Ratajczak’s book whose publication represents what some described as the first serious case of Holocaust denial in the Poland (although there have been others).
Ratajczak revised the book in 2005, attributing the claims regarding Zyklon B to historical revisionists.
In 2000 he became the European Associate of the Revisionists at Adelaide Institute, Australia.
Ratajczak believed that charge of anti-Semitism had become a sort of exceptionally brutal weapon, which the "establishment" uses ruthlessly against independent thinking men.
"What hurts me most is that I found myself in a group of historians who have been muzzled. After all, please see: from 45 years to now the number of Jews murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau has dropped from six million to less than one million. It's official data. Indeed, even if they had killed one man, that would be a tragedy. But how is it that some historians may legitimately question the numbers of the Holocaust, and others can not? How is it that some people can reduce the six million to less than a million and nothing bad is happening to them? How is it that some people are not allowed to examine this subject and even be wrong, while other historians are allowed all this?" Ratajczak commented.
for the Opole's voivodeship sejmik
, but after his candidature caused controversy he resigned it.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
historian (formerly of the University of Opole
University of Opole
Opole University is a university in Opole. It was founded in 1994 from a merger of two other educational institutions.It has eight faculties:* Faculty of Philology;* Faculty of History and Pedagogy,* Faculty of Theology,...
), publicist and right-wing activist. In 1999 he was convicted of Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
in Poland.
Biography
Ratajczak was born in OpoleOpole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. His father, Cyryl, moved from Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
to Opole after finishing Law studies. His mother, Alina Czuchryj arrived from Khodoriv
Khodoriv
Khodoriv is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It has a population of 10,080.The city was first mentioned in 1394. In many historic documents it is referred to as Khodoriv-stav. In many documents it is named Khodoriv-stav. It is connected with a male name Fedir and the situation of the...
. Dariusz Ratajczak finished Opole high school and enrolled to Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, as Ratajczak noted, because he wanted to make his father happy. From 1988 Ratajczak was working in the Opole higher education institution. Dariusz Ratajczak was a history lecturer at the University of Opole
University of Opole
Opole University is a university in Opole. It was founded in 1994 from a merger of two other educational institutions.It has eight faculties:* Faculty of Philology;* Faculty of History and Pedagogy,* Faculty of Theology,...
until 1999, when he was dismissed following controversy about his book Dangerous Topics in which he asserted that the gas chambers at Auschwitz were used merely to delouse prisoners. He had published articles in right-wing magazines like Myśl Polska and cooperated with Najwyższy Czas!
Najwyzszy Czas!
Najwyższy Czas! is a Polish liberal conservative sociopolitic weekly news magazine, published since March 31, 1990 by Oficyna Konserwatystów i Liberałów, owned by Janusz Korwin-Mikke and connected with the Union of Real Politics. This magazine focuses on promoting liberalism in economy and...
, a weekly magazine of the political party Real Politics Union
Real Politics Union
The Real Politics Union , abbreviated to UPR, was a free market-emphasizing conservative political party in Poland. It was composed of conservatives, libertarians and monarchists...
, where he wrote articles on history.
Holocaust denial
According to Ruth E. Gruber report, Dariusz Ratajczak, in his book Tematy Niebezpieczne ("Dangerous Themes"), appears to agree with Holocaust deniers who claim that for technical reasons it was not possible to kill millions of people in the Nazi gas chambersGas Chambers
Gas Chambers is a fast, hollow and shallow point break type of wave. Being that it is a high performance wave it is well suited for the average to pro level surfer. Gas Chambers is located on the North Shore of Oahu about a 1/4 of a mile north of Ehukai Beach Park and 1/2 a mile west of Sunset...
, that Zyklon B
Zyklon B
Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide infamous for its use by Nazi Germany to kill human beings in gas chambers of extermination camps during the Holocaust. The "B" designation indicates one of two types of Zyklon...
gas was used only for disinfecting, that there was no Nazi plan for the systematic murder of Jews
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
and that most Holocaust scholars "are adherents of a religion of the Holocaust". Rajtaczak would defend himself claiming that he only reproduced the Holocaust deniers claims to illustrate their point of view but did not endorse them.
Ratajczak's book triggered widespread public criticism and drew protests from numerous sources, including the director of the museum at the former Auschwitz death camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, senator Wladyslaw Bartoszewski
Wladyslaw Bartoszewski
Władysław Bartoszewski is a Polish politician, social activist, journalist, writer, historian, former Auschwitz concentration camp prisoner, World War II Resistance fighter, Polish underground activist, participant of the Warsaw Uprising, twice the Minister of Foreign Affairs, chevalier of the...
Polish mainstream academic community and bishop of Lublin.
The University of Opole suspended Dariusz Ratajczak from his teachings in 1999. In the same year he was brought to local court, as denying the existence of the Holocaust is a criminal offence in Poland. In December 1999 a court in Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
found Ratajczak guilty of breaching the Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation is a Polish government-affiliated research institute with lustration prerogatives and prosecution powers founded by specific legislation. It specialises in the legal and historical sciences and...
law that outlawed the denial of crimes against humanity committed by Nazi or by communist regimes in Poland
Communist crime
Communist crimes , is a legal definition used notably in Polish criminal law. The concept is also used more broadly internationally, and is employed by human rights NGOs as well as government agencies such as the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes, the Institute for Information on...
, but that his crime had caused "negligible harm to society". The reason for the low sentence was that Ratajczak's self-published book had only 230 copies and that in the second edition and public appearances he criticized the Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
.
The verdict was criticized by some, like former victims of Nazi crimes, as too lenient. Two mainstream liberal Polish newspapers like Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
and Rzeczpospolita
Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)
Rzeczpospolita is a Polish national daily newspaper, with a circulation around of 160,000. Issued every day except Sunday. Rzeczpospolita was printed in broadsheet format, then switched to compact at October 16, 2007...
criticized the verdict in support of Ratajczaks' freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. For Ratajczak support spoke and one of the leaders of League of Polish Families
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
party Ryszard Bender
Ryszard Bender
Ryszard Bender – Polish politician and historian, specialist of history of January Uprising.He is professor of History on John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin....
, who during Radio Maria
Radio Maryja
Radio Maryja is a Polish religious, conservative, anti-post-Communist and pro-life Roman Catholic radio station and media group, describing itself as patriotic. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on December 9, 1991 and has been run since its inception by the Redemptorist rector doctor Tadeusz...
broadcast, denied the fact that Auschwitz was a death camp, which caused another scandal in Poland.
At the end Dariusz Ratajczak was fired from University of Opole in 2000 and banned from teaching at universities for three years. During this time he worked as storeman.
In 2000 he became the European Associate for Adelaide Institute, Australia.
Ratajczak remained defiant and denied all charges, appealing for an outright acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
; his critics also appealed demanded a harsher sentence, including a prison term. Eventually after a series of appeals the verdict was upheld and the case dismissed in 2002.
A scandal surrounding a Ratajczak’s book whose publication represents what some described as the first serious case of Holocaust denial in the Poland (although there have been others).
Ratajczak revised the book in 2005, attributing the claims regarding Zyklon B to historical revisionists.
In 2000 he became the European Associate of the Revisionists at Adelaide Institute, Australia.
Ratajczak believed that charge of anti-Semitism had become a sort of exceptionally brutal weapon, which the "establishment" uses ruthlessly against independent thinking men.
"What hurts me most is that I found myself in a group of historians who have been muzzled. After all, please see: from 45 years to now the number of Jews murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau has dropped from six million to less than one million. It's official data. Indeed, even if they had killed one man, that would be a tragedy. But how is it that some historians may legitimately question the numbers of the Holocaust, and others can not? How is it that some people can reduce the six million to less than a million and nothing bad is happening to them? How is it that some people are not allowed to examine this subject and even be wrong, while other historians are allowed all this?" Ratajczak commented.
Death
Dariusz Ratajczak was found dead in a car parked near the shopping centre in Opole on 11 June 2010. The body was in the car for nearly two weeks, but was in an advanced state of decay. Autopsy learnt that fatal alcohol poisoning was the cause of Ratajczak's death.Political activity
In 2002 Ratajczak was considered as a candidate from the League of Polish FamiliesLeague of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
for the Opole's voivodeship sejmik
Voivodeship sejmik
A voivodeship sejmik is a provincial-level elected assembly for each of the 16 voivodeships of Poland. Sejmiks are elected to four-year terms, decided during nationwide local elections...
, but after his candidature caused controversy he resigned it.
Works
- Polacy na Wileńszczyźnie 1939-1944 (Opole 1990)
- Świadectwo księdza Wojaczka (Opole 1994)
- Krajowa Armia Podziemna w powiecie prudnickim 1949-1952 (współautor, Opole-Gliwice 1996)
- Tematy niebezpieczne (Opole 1999)
- Tematy jeszcze bardziej niebezpieczne (Kociaty, New York, 2001)
- Inkwizycja po polsku, czyli sprawa dr Dariusza Ratajczaka (Poznań 2003)
- Prawda ponad wszystko (Opole 2004)
- Spowiedź "antysemity" (Opole 2005)