Chełm councilors agreed to co-finance the construction of the Museum of Remembrance of the Victims of the Volhynian Massacre and the Center for Truth and Reconciliation. President Lech Kaczyński. The institution is to be built with 90 percent government money. It is to be built on the site of a community school complex that has been operating here for 30 years. Parents protest. Today the mayor of the city is talking to the school principal.
– Yesterday there was a special session of the city council, which decided on this money. Today, I just found out that there is a special meeting between the president and the school principal – said our reporter Michał Gołębiowski on TVN24 on Friday (November 24).
On Thursday, Chełm’s city councilors voted on a budget change under which the city will subsidize the construction of the Museum of Remembrance of the Victims of the Volhynian Massacre and the Center for Truth and Reconciliation. President Lech Kaczyński. The institution itself was established in May as a local government cultural institution, which was to be co-run by the Ministry of Culture.
The councilors agreed to financially support the creation of the center from local government fundsTVN24
The local government is to spend PLN 20 million
According to our reporter, the construction will cost PLN 200 million, of which 90 percent will be covered by funds provided by the government and 10 percent. by the local government.
Piotr Gliński: the city of Chełm asked the ministry to co-run a museum commemorating the victims of the Volhynia massacre
PIS announced the creation of a museum in Chełm commemorating the Volhynian massacre in July 2020. In one of the few larger cities ruled by a president originating from PiS – Jakub Banaszek – there was Jacek Sasin. The president also sent a special letter Andrzej Duda. An agreement on cooperation between the city and the government was then signed.
A school has been operating in this building for 30 years
The idea of implementing the investment caused a lot of controversy during Thursday’s session. Especially since the center is to be launched in a building where a community school has been operating for 30 years. That is why there was a protest by students and parents during the city council’s budget committee.
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– If this school closes now, we will simply have no choice but to send our son to a school with 35 students each. This is not acceptable for every child. I know that my child will not be able to be provided with an appropriate level of education in another facility, one of the protesting parents told our reporter on Thursday.
Others emphasized that the city had indicated another building in which the school could operate, but at prices similar to those for a commercial facility.
Parents protestTVN24
The decision may be withdrawn by the voivode
– The question is, what’s next with the school and the museum? This is not entirely certain, because the city council’s decision may be withdrawn by the voivode. There are still 30 days for this, and during this time the voivode may change and we will see a museum worth PLN 200 million, but the new government’s account will already be created here – our reporter summed up on Friday. The case also generated a wave of comments among politicians.
“A jump on the money” and “the second Otwock”
On Thursday, MP Michał Szczerba published an entry on social media in which he alarmed that the Center for Truth and Reconciliation. Lech Kaczyński is “Otwock 2.0” (it thus refers to donating one hundred million zlotys to co-run the Institute of the Heritage of National Thought them. Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski). Referring to the situation in Chełm, the parliamentarian pointed out that the minister Piotr Gliński He has already reached an agreement with the mayor of the city.
The entry was commented by Minister Piotr Gliński. He announced that a Museum of the Volhynian Massacre would be established in Chełm. “This is the purpose of the agreement on co-running this institution, which will be managed by the City. It is a long-term program to commemorate the victims of the huge tragedy in Volhynia. You have no respect for memory and sanctity,” replied the Minister of Culture.
He said in front of the TVN24 camera on Friday that the city of Chełm asked the ministry to co-run a museum commemorating the victims of the Volhynia massacre.
– There is no such museum in Poland. There is even more reason to create such an institution, he said.
Kierwiński: this is a diversion of public money
However, KO MP Marcin Kierwiński said that it was one big theft and “it should be called straight.”
– This means taking public money to strange institutions, to local government officials from PiS, so that the money then disappears into the pockets of PiS politicians. Mr. Gliński, who makes such decisions, will be responsible for it sooner or later – he said in front of the TVN24 camera.
Main photo source: TVN24