Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s remarks about territory and the homeland triggered a strong reaction in the Polish segment of X. He made the statement on September 17 in Włodawa during events marking the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.
“We are a nation that may lose territory but will never lose its soul; we may give up territory, but we will never give up our homeland,” the Chancellery of the President of Poland quoted Nawrocki as saying.
In the broader context of his speech, the president was referring to Poland’s historical experience — the partitions of the country and its occupation during World War II. He stressed that Poles had lost territory for decades but preserved their national identity.
However, the phrase “we may give up territory” prompted a wave of critical comments. Some users pointed out that the president used the present tense, meaning his words could be interpreted as referring not only to the past. One popular comment noted that “we could have lost territory” would refer to history, while “we may lose” or “we may give up” sounds like a statement about the present or future.
“What territory of Poland does Nawrocki want to give up?” one user asked sarcastically. Another wrote: “I would prefer the president not to give away any of our territory.” Commenters also called on Nawrocki to clarify his remarks and apologize as soon as possible.
At the same time, some users defended the president, arguing that his words had been taken out of their historical context and that Nawrocki was referring to Poland’s territorial losses in the past, not expressing a willingness to cede territory today.
The reaction extended beyond social media. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for the post to be deleted and said Poland “has no intention of giving up even a scrap” of its territory. Nawrocki responded by explaining that he was referring to the events of 1939: Poland lost territory but did not lose its homeland.
The Chancellery of the President also defended Nawrocki, saying his critics were ignoring the historical context of his speech.
