■德國總統施泰因邁爾發表演說，就德國在二戰帶來的傷害請求波蘭人民原諒。 資料圖片【原文】下文摘錄自香港《文匯報》2019年9月2日報道︰
波蘭(Poland)昨日紀念第二次世界大戰（World War II）爆發80周年，在當年納粹（Nazi）德軍投下第一批炸彈的波蘭中部城鎮維隆（Wielun），波蘭總統杜達（Andrzej Duda）和德國總統施泰因邁爾（Frank-Walter Steinmeier）帶領民眾舉行紀念儀式，施泰因邁爾發表演說時，就德國在二戰帶來的傷害請求波蘭人民原諒（forgiveness）。
波蘭在二戰中深受苦難，全國近600萬人死亡，相當於約五分一人口，國內300萬猶太人（Jews）失去生命。在維隆的紀念儀式中，於當地時間早上4時40分、即第一枚炸彈被投下一刻，參加者全體默哀一分鐘，悼念維隆在戰爭中喪生的2,000人。
施泰因邁爾表示，「德國人在波蘭犯下的違反人道（humanity）罪行，若有人說歷史已經過去，納粹在歐洲帶來的恐懼只是歷史一小部分，這些人應好好反省」。這番言論明顯針對德國極右政黨「德國另類選擇黨」（Alternative for Germany），該黨領袖高蘭（Alexander Gauland）曾表示，若非二戰期間的12年「小污點」，德國歷史會很輝煌（glorious）。杜達發言時則譴責納粹德軍對波蘭的攻擊，形容是「野蠻行為」（barbarity）和「戰爭罪行」。
波蘭首都華沙（Warsaw）同日稍後舉行紀念儀式，只有德國總理默克爾（Angela Merkel）和美國副總統彭斯（Mike Pence）等少數外國首腦出席。杜達致詞時，斥責俄羅斯（Russia）的軍事行動為「帝國主義（imperialism）傾向在歐洲重新冒起」，企圖以武力改變邊界及攻擊其他國家，明顯是指俄羅斯2008年與格魯吉亞（Georgia）開戰，以及2014年將克里米亞（Crimea）併入領土的行動。彭斯則讚揚波蘭人民具備勇氣，為自由作出貢獻，他對於有機會向波蘭人民發表講話感到榮幸。
儘管距離二戰爆發已有80年，但波蘭堅持德國必須就波蘭的人命和財產損失作出賠償（compensation），德國則認為事情已經完結。
German president asks Polish forgiveness 80 years after World War II outbreak
【譯文】The German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, recently marked the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in the small Polish town of Wielun, where the first German bomb fell 80 years ago. Speaking in front of crowds, Steinmeier asked for Polish forgiveness for the tyranny of the Nazi German troops in wartime.
Poland suffered greatly in World War II - about 6 million of its people were killed, equivalent to a fifth of the population, including its 3 million Jewish citizens. The commemorative memorial in Wielun began at 4:40 a.m., the moment when the first German bomb was dropped, and a minute's silence was observed in memory of the estimated 2,000 victims in the small town.
"It is the Germans who committed a crime against humanity in Poland. Anyone who claims it is over, that the national-socialists'reign of terror over Europe is a marginal event in German history judges that for himself," Steinmeier said in the ceremony, pointing a finger at the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany, whose co-leader Alexander Gauland once called the 12-year in World War II a "speck of bird poop" in an otherwise glorious German past. Duda in his speech denounced Nazi Germany's attack on Poland, describing it "an act of barbarity" and "a war crime."
The capital of Poland, Warsaw, also held a ceremony later that day, with only a few major world leaders such as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Vice-President Mike Pence attended. Duda delivered a speech and appealed to criticize Russia's military action as a recent "return of imperialist tendencies" in Europe, which attempted to change borders by force and attack other countries, referring to Russia's aggression on Georgia in 2008 and its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Pence praised the Polish people for their courage and contribution to fight for freedom, and felt honored to have the opportunity to speak to them.
Although 80 years have passed since the outbreak of World War II, Poland has been persistently claiming compensation from Germany for its loss of life and property in wartime, whereas some German simply think that the matter has already come to an end.■龐嘉儀
Q&A
1. 德國對波蘭的入侵在歷史上被稱為什麼？
2. 發動納粹大屠殺（Holocaust）的時任德國領導人是誰？
3. 第二次世界大戰歷時多久？
4. 哪個國際組織成立於二戰結束的1945年，以防止戰爭發生並為各國提供對話平台？
Answer
1. 波蘭戰役 （Invasion of Poland）
2. 希特勒（Adolf Hitler）
3. 6年（1939-1945年）
4. 聯合國（United Nations）