It’s Scary That A Polish Diplomat Is Intimidating One Of His Country’s Athletes In Russia
By blowing the Russophobic dog whistle and implying that Rybus committed treason by signing a sports contract with a top Russian team for “blood money”, the Undersecretary of State for Security is giving a wink and a nod to his country’s ultra-nationalists and their fascist Ukrainian allies to do whatever they want to him and his family if they ever come back to Poland, which is disgusting and should be universally condemned.
Russophobia has become the unofficial ideology of the ruling Polish party ever since its Prime Minister shamelessly boasted in late March that his country set the global standard for what can objectively be described as a variant of fascism. It’s therefore unsurprising that its Undersecretary of State for Security recently took to Twitter to intimidate a Polish footballer who just signed a contract with one of Russia’s top teams. He accused Maciej Rybus of taking “blood money” from Russia and said that he hopes that the athlete is never allowed to play on his country’s national team. Despite this terrible rhetoric being par for the course in modern-day Polish politics, it’s still scary that a top diplomat would do this.
While Rybus declined to comment on this thuggish intimidation, his agent was much more talkative and what he said speaks volumes about how dangerous Russophobia has become in Poland nowadays. According to Rybus’ representative, “We know the attitude of Poles towards Russia, but now I do not have to confirm it, it is enough to see what is happening on social media. If Maciej came to Poland and sent his children to kindergarten or school, it would not be a nice time. Children listen and transfer it to the playground. If he stays in Russia, his family is safe. You never know what would have happened.” These ominous words are credible considering recent events in Poland.
Just last month, Ukrainian fascists attacked the Russian Ambassador as he visited a Soviet cemetery on Victory Day to lay a wreath commemorating the over 600,000 of his compatriots who were martyred while fighting to end the Nazis’ genocide of the Polish people, literally 6 million of whom were slaughtered by the time that country was finally liberated. The Ukrainization of Poland coupled with those two countries’ recent merger into a de facto confederation and the presence of several million Ukrainians there means that Rybus’ Russian family definitely wouldn’t be safe if they returned to his homeland.
In all likelihood, they’d almost certainly be harassed or worse, with his children and/or wife possibly being kidnapped or even killed by Ukrainian fascists. The very fact that a prominent Polish athlete’s agent strongly implied these scenarios by hinting at his country’s new unofficial ideology shows just how dangerous everything has recently gotten there for those who have any connection whatsoever to Russia. One can only imagine how bad it must be for average Poles who aren’t as prominent as Rybus and who could easily be abused or worse without anyone knowing. If this sports celebrity doesn’t feel safe in his own country, then nobody with any connection to Russia would feel safe either.
That’s why it’s so scary that Poland’s Undersecretary of State for Security tried to thuggishly intimidate Rybus through Twitter. He’s sending an unmistakable signal that his compatriot shouldn’t return home any time soon, perhaps ever, unless he wants to risk being harassed by his own government. By blowing the Russophobic dog whistle and implying that Rybus committed treason by signing a sports contract with a top Russian team for “blood money”, this diplomat is giving a wink and a nod to his country’s ultra-nationalists and their fascist Ukrainian allies to do whatever they want to him and his family if they ever come back to Poland, which is disgusting and should be universally condemned.