A Private Moment for Poles? Smolensk One Year On

A year ago today I was walking to the tube station on the way to my part time job to pay for my trip to South Africa when I got a call from my brother. “Haven’t you heard? The Polish President has died in a plane crash.” I immediately ran to the local corner shop and saw it confirmed on the news.

My work that day took me past the POSK centre and by 14.00 the steps were already covered in wreaths, flowers, flags, with people kneeling in prayer or standing holding each other in disbelief. In this Polish dominated part of the city there were flags and t-shirts everywhere. 

The POSK centre in Hammersmith a few days later...

Even Amy, the girl I was working with that day, was in tears: Born of Polish parents but brought up in London all her life – “my President has died” she said. Another Pole I knew that I spoke to that day told me he thought it was, effectively,  “good riddance.”

The day had not yet died before the divisions that would follow had begun.

I don’t feel qualified enough to comment on all that’s happened since.  This is partly because of the lack of English language analysis (This morning as of 09.41 there was nothing on the BBC website’s front page or Europe section about today’s anniversary) and also because the debate that followed was an intensely Polish one concerning the relationship between the old and young, conservatives and liberals, conspiracy theorists, the religious and non-believers and between those seeking to revert Poland’s relationship with Russia and those keen to move on from the tragedy.

The fact that so many world leaders were unable to come to the funeral because of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud somehow, now, seems to symbolise that. I want to call it isolation but what I really mean is that intensely personal moment for Poland.  

Later the next day I went for a meal at the Polish White Eagle Club in Balham and the bar was filled with people sitting almost in silence. Outside life was moving on as before, untouched, but inside were people shocked by the scale of the tragedy: so many leading figures from government, culture, history and religion all dead. How could it have happened?

Yesterday in the afternoon I came across an old man putting up his Polish flag with its black ribbon in order to mark today’s anniversary. I wish I had had a better camera as it was a touching moment.

Update: I have subsequently noticed that the BBC is tonight airing a documentary made by film-maker Ewa Ewart which was also on TVN this week. PN.