March 14, 2018 - 10:15 AM
WARSAW, Poland - Polish lawmakers have approved a new national holiday honouring the Poles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
The Senate voted Wednesday on the bill, initiated by President Andrzej, to make March 24 a national day of remembrance. It was approved 58-14 in the Senate with three abstentions, and now only requires Duda's signature to become law.
The bill pays tribute to Poles who showed courage and compassion and were "faithful to the highest ethical values."
The new holiday follows passage of new legislation that criminalizes falsely attributing the Holocaust crimes of Nazi Germany to Poland. That step and the holiday are seen as a larger effort by nationalist authorities to stress Polish heroism during World War II.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018