Maciej Giertych
Encyclopedia
Maciej Marian Giertych is a Polish
dendrologist
and social conservative politician of the League of Polish Families
(LPR). He favours state intervention in the economy. He was a member of the Sejm
(between 2001 and 2004) and a Polish member of the European Parliament
(from 2004 to 2009). He was a candidate in the 2005 Polish presidential elections
, but withdrew from the race because of low vote results (circa 3%).
, the son of notable politician of the nationalist National Democracy movement Jędrzej Giertych
. In late 1945 his family left Poland
for post-war Germany's British zone
and finally settled in the United Kingdom
. In 1954 Giertych passed his final school exams and entered Oxford University, where he founded the Polish Students Club
during his studies. He received the BA
and MA
in forestry
. Between 1958 and 1962 he studied at the University of Toronto
, where he received his PhD
for studies on tree
physiology
.
In 1962 Giertych returned to Poland, where he completed his qualifications for an assistant professorship at the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
(PAN) in Kórnik
near Poznań
. In 1964 he married Antonina Giertych, née Jachnik. In 1970 he received his Habilitation
degree for his studies on forest genetics
at the Agricultural University of Poznań. Since 1976 he has lectured at the Nicolaus Copernicus University
of Toruń
. He has also published more than 200 works and studies, mostly on forest-related topics. The same year he became a member of the Forest Sciences Committee of the PAN. In 1981 he received the grade of associate professor and in November 1989 of full professor.
In 1986 Giertych joined the advisory council (Rada Konsultacyjna), made up of opposition members and party officials set up by the leader of the communist
authorities, Wojciech Jaruzelski
. He continuously showed his support for General Jaruzelski, and supported the "alliance" between Poland and the Soviet Union. The council included several prominent Poles such as Marek Kotański
, Krzysztof Skubiszewski
and Kazimierz Dejmek, but also leading members of the communist party. He also served as the Polish representative to the International Union of Forest Research Organisations from 1986 to 1995.
After the fall of the communist regime in Poland in 1990, Giertych continued his scientific work; between 1993 and 2000 he was an advisor to the Ministry of Environmental Affairs. In 1990 he was a member of one of the minor political parties, the National Party of Poland (Stronnictwo Narodowe). Most of its members eventually entered the League of Polish Families
(LPR) and dissolved the National Party.
On September 23, 2001, Giertych was elected to the Polish Parliament
from a Poznań constituency. On June 16, 2004, he became a Member of the European Parliament
for the LPR. Together with the rest of his party he sits as a Non-attached
Member.
Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish nationalist politicians: he is the grandson of Franciszek Giertych and son of Jędrzej Giertych
, and father of Roman Giertych
, who led the LPR in the past.
and moral relativism
. He criticized and opposed Poland's entry into the European Union
. He has supported closer ties with Eastern Europe
an countries (especially Russia
), as well as defending Polish industry against what he regards as the unfair practices of western companies. He is also against the proposed European Constitution. In general, the views of Maciej Giertych are in line with the ideology of Radio Maryja
, a media group and political-religious channel of religiously conservative parties in Poland.
During his discourse Giertych however had explicitly condemned National Socialism
and insisted Benito Mussolini
and Adolf Hitler
also had an "atheistic and socialistic taste about them". He also praised Francisco Franco
, Antonio Salazar and Éamon de Valera
, as guardsmen of traditional European values, in the same address to the European Parliament.
In February 2007, Giertych sparked outrage among European Union officials and Jewish organizations by publishing a brochure called "Civilisations at war in Europe" that claimed Jews create their own "ghettos" because they supposedly prefer to separate themselves from others. A number of journalists and certain Jewish organizations considered the brochure to be anti-Semitic.
During the European Parliament
's session on 14 March 2007, Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering
reprimanded Maciej Giertych for the content of his pamphlet in accordance with Rule 147 of the EP's Rules of Procedure. He said that the publication was "a serious breach of fundamental rights and, in particular, the dignity of human beings to which our institution so strongly adheres". Pöttering dissociated the Parliament from the work saying that it had made no financial contribution to its publication. Several members of the Parliament have joined with the European Jewish Congress
in calling for an investigation of the publishing of the pamphlet and whether Parliament funds were involved.
that attributes the creation of the universe, life, and its further development to an act of God's will. He is an honorary member of the Daylight Origins Society
, a creationist organisation based in the United Kingdom
.
In his foreword to Gerard Keane's 1999 book Creation Rediscovered, Giertych documented how his views changed from assuming evolution
is true to being skeptical of it.
In 2006, Giertych rebutted the accusation that he advocated teaching creationism in schools. He stated, "I am a scientist — a population geneticist with a degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the University of Toronto — and I am critical of the theory of evolution as a scientist, with no religious connotation."
On October 11, 2006, Giertych introduced and moderated a pro-creationist seminar held in Brussels
for members of the European Parliament; The title of the presentation was Teaching evolutionary theory in Europe. Is your child being indoctrinated in the classroom?
In 2008 Giertych appeared in Ben Stein
's movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
" (credited as Marciej Giertych). The documentary features Giertych talking about his views on the theory of evolution.
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...
dendrologist
Dendrology
Dendrology or xylology is the science and study of wooded plants . There is no sharp boundary between plant taxonomy and dendrology. However, woody plants not only belong to many different plant families, but these families may be made up of both woody and non-woody members. Some families include...
and social conservative politician of the 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....
(LPR). He favours state intervention in the economy. He was a member of the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
(between 2001 and 2004) and a Polish member of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
(from 2004 to 2009). He was a candidate in the 2005 Polish presidential elections
Polish presidential election, 2005
-External links:**] ]**...
, but withdrew from the race because of low vote results (circa 3%).
Biography
Maciej Giertych was born March 24, 1936 in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, the son of notable politician of the nationalist National Democracy movement Jędrzej Giertych
Jedrzej Giertych
Jędrzej Giertych was a Polish right-wing politician, journalist and writer, son of Franciszek Giertych, father of Maciej Giertych and grandfather of Roman Giertych...
. In late 1945 his family left Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
for post-war Germany's British zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
and finally settled in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 1954 Giertych passed his final school exams and entered Oxford University, where he founded the Polish Students Club
Oxford University Polish Society
Oxford University Polish Society is a student society in the University of Oxford for Polish nationals, people of Polish ancestry and everyone interested in Poland. It was founded in 1955 and claims to be the oldest Polish student society in the UK...
during his studies. He received the BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
in forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. Between 1958 and 1962 he studied at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
for studies on tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
.
In 1962 Giertych returned to Poland, where he completed his qualifications for an assistant professorship at the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
(PAN) in Kórnik
Kórnik
Kórnik is a town with about 6,800 inhabitants , located in western Poland, approximately south-east of the city of Poznań. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska region....
near Poznań
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...
. In 1964 he married Antonina Giertych, née Jachnik. In 1970 he received his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
degree for his studies on forest genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
at the Agricultural University of Poznań. Since 1976 he has lectured at the Nicolaus Copernicus University
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń is located in Toruń, Poland. It was named after Nicolaus Copernicus who was born in this town in 1473.-The beginnings of higher education in Toruń:...
of Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
. He has also published more than 200 works and studies, mostly on forest-related topics. The same year he became a member of the Forest Sciences Committee of the PAN. In 1981 he received the grade of associate professor and in November 1989 of full professor.
In 1986 Giertych joined the advisory council (Rada Konsultacyjna), made up of opposition members and party officials set up by the leader of the communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
authorities, Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski is a retired Polish military officer and Communist politician. He was the last Communist leader of Poland from 1981 to 1989, Prime Minister from 1981 to 1985 and the country's head of state from 1985 to 1990. He was also the last commander-in-chief of the Polish People's...
. He continuously showed his support for General Jaruzelski, and supported the "alliance" between Poland and the Soviet Union. The council included several prominent Poles such as Marek Kotański
Marek Kotanski
Marek Kotański, was a Polish charity worker and campaigner on behalf of disadvantaged people, including the homeless and those with HIV...
, Krzysztof Skubiszewski
Krzysztof Skubiszewski
Krzysztof Skubiszewski was a Polish politician, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and an established scholar in the field of international law.Skubiszewski was born in Poznań...
and Kazimierz Dejmek, but also leading members of the communist party. He also served as the Polish representative to the International Union of Forest Research Organisations from 1986 to 1995.
After the fall of the communist regime in Poland in 1990, Giertych continued his scientific work; between 1993 and 2000 he was an advisor to the Ministry of Environmental Affairs. In 1990 he was a member of one of the minor political parties, the National Party of Poland (Stronnictwo Narodowe). Most of its members eventually entered the 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....
(LPR) and dissolved the National Party.
On September 23, 2001, Giertych was elected to the Polish Parliament
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
from a Poznań constituency. On June 16, 2004, he became a Member of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
for the LPR. Together with the rest of his party he sits as a Non-attached
Non-Inscrits
Non-Inscrits are Members of the European Parliament who do not sit in one of the recognized political groups....
Member.
Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish nationalist politicians: he is the grandson of Franciszek Giertych and son of Jędrzej Giertych
Jedrzej Giertych
Jędrzej Giertych was a Polish right-wing politician, journalist and writer, son of Franciszek Giertych, father of Maciej Giertych and grandfather of Roman Giertych...
, and father of Roman Giertych
Roman Giertych
Roman Jacek Giertych is a Polish politician; he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education until August 2007. He was a member of the Sejm from 2001 until October 2007, and chairman of the League of Polish Families party.- Biography :Roman Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish...
, who led the LPR in the past.
Political views
Maciej Giertych opposed lifting the ban on purchase of land in Poland by foreigners (due to fears of resurgence of German colonialism), homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and moral relativism
Moral relativism
Moral relativism may be any of several descriptive, meta-ethical, or normative positions. Each of them is concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures:...
. He criticized and opposed Poland's entry into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He has supported closer ties with Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries (especially Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), as well as defending Polish industry against what he regards as the unfair practices of western companies. He is also against the proposed European Constitution. In general, the views of Maciej Giertych are in line with the ideology of Radio Maryja
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...
, a media group and political-religious channel of religiously conservative parties in Poland.
During his discourse Giertych however had explicitly condemned National Socialism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and insisted Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
also had an "atheistic and socialistic taste about them". He also praised Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, Antonio Salazar and Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
, as guardsmen of traditional European values, in the same address to the European Parliament.
In February 2007, Giertych sparked outrage among European Union officials and Jewish organizations by publishing a brochure called "Civilisations at war in Europe" that claimed Jews create their own "ghettos" because they supposedly prefer to separate themselves from others. A number of journalists and certain Jewish organizations considered the brochure to be anti-Semitic.
During the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
's session on 14 March 2007, Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering
Hans-Gert Pöttering
Hans-Gert Pöttering is a German conservative politician , and was the President of the European Parliament from January 2007 to July 2009...
reprimanded Maciej Giertych for the content of his pamphlet in accordance with Rule 147 of the EP's Rules of Procedure. He said that the publication was "a serious breach of fundamental rights and, in particular, the dignity of human beings to which our institution so strongly adheres". Pöttering dissociated the Parliament from the work saying that it had made no financial contribution to its publication. Several members of the Parliament have joined with the European Jewish Congress
European Jewish Congress
The European Jewish Congress, , was founded in 1986. It is based in Paris, with offices in Brussels, Strasbourg, Berlin and Budapest...
in calling for an investigation of the publishing of the pamphlet and whether Parliament funds were involved.
Creationist views
Giertych supports a version of creationismCreationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
that attributes the creation of the universe, life, and its further development to an act of God's will. He is an honorary member of the Daylight Origins Society
Daylight Origins Society
-Circle Scientifique et Historique:Circle Scientifique et Historique , was founded in 1971 in Belgium to preserve and disseminate the work of French creationist Fernand Crombette.-Daylight Origins Society:...
, a creationist organisation based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In his foreword to Gerard Keane's 1999 book Creation Rediscovered, Giertych documented how his views changed from assuming evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
is true to being skeptical of it.
In 2006, Giertych rebutted the accusation that he advocated teaching creationism in schools. He stated, "I am a scientist — a population geneticist with a degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the University of Toronto — and I am critical of the theory of evolution as a scientist, with no religious connotation."
On October 11, 2006, Giertych introduced and moderated a pro-creationist seminar held in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
for members of the European Parliament; The title of the presentation was Teaching evolutionary theory in Europe. Is your child being indoctrinated in the classroom?
In 2008 Giertych appeared in Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
's movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a 2008 documentary film, directed by Nathan Frankowski and hosted by Ben Stein. The film contends that the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting...
" (credited as Marciej Giertych). The documentary features Giertych talking about his views on the theory of evolution.
External links
- personal website (Polish & English)
- League of Polish Families (Polish)
- Maciej Giertych – "Poland above all!"
- Maciej Giertych – Speech in European Parliament, 4 July 2006, about the Spanish Civil War
- Skeptics: scientists who are skeptical of the claims of Darwinism, abiogenesis or macroevolution
- Nature 444, 406-407 (23 November 2006) http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/444406a; Published online 22 November 2006: Anti-evolutionists raise their profile in Europe
- Civilisations at war in Europe