German broadcaster will apologise for "Polish death camps": opinion

A Kraków court ruled that an apology earlier published on the broadcaster's website did not answer the verdict's requirement that the message be visible on ZDF's homepage for 30 days.

ZDF published a link to the apology, which was published in the form of an image and did not allow web search engines to find the text.

“This is an attempt to manipulate and avoid taking responsibility by Germany’s largest TV station,” Tendera's lawyer said in December.

ZDF has until 3 March to run the full text of the apology on its homepage.

Tendera's lawyer said that the verdict would be carried out because, under German laws, the broadcaster can otherwise be fined up to EUR 25,000. According to the lawyer, the risk of being hit with a hefty fine will move ZDF to apologise.

Tendera launched the case over the promotion of a ZDF documentary about the liberation of Majdanek and Auschwitz, WWII German Nazi death camps located in occupied Poland.

In the promotional material on the zdf.de website, the expression “Polish death camps” was used. The description was changed after Polish authorities protested.

In April 2016, a Kraków district court found that ZDF had damaged Tendera's dignity and national identity by refering to WWII German Nazi concentration camps Majdanek and Auschwitz as “Polish death camps”.

The use of the term "Polish concentration camp” by international media outlets has sparked numerous complaints from Poland in recent years, prompting some news agencies to change their style guidelines.

In 2007, following a Polish request, the World Heritage Committee attempted to clarify the matter by listing the Auschwitz camp as a "German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp". (vb/pk)

Source: IAR