Subcultures in Poland
Subculture : social, ethnic, regional, economic group that presents specific behaviors that distinguish it from other members of a wider society or culture.
Neo-nazism in Poland.
Neo-nazism consists of militant social or political movements after World War II that seek to revive and implement the ideology of Nazism. A report showing the cult of Nazism has generated outrage in Poland, where an investigation has been ordered to determine whether there is any advocacy of fascism among the ultra-right members appearing on the tape.
The investigation was requested by the Ministry of Justice after the broadcast yesterday of the documentary, broadcast by the channel TVN24 and showing the cult to the Nazism of a group of extreme Polish right, which even goes to celebrate the birthday of Adolf Hitler in a forest, between flaming swastikas and Nazi banners.
The ruling party in Poland, the nationalist force Law and Justice, has today called on the authorities to intervene to stop the activities of neo-Nazi groups and has called for a parliamentary debate to address the radicalism of some collectives in Polish society.
According to the Polish Constitution, promoting any totalitarian system such as Nazism and fascism (as well as communism) and inciting violence and/or racial hatred is illegal. This was further reinforced in the Polish Penal Code, where the discredit of any group or persons on national, religious, racial or religious grounds carries a sentence of 3 years.
Although there are several small right-wing and anti-Semitic organisations, including the Polish National Restoration and the Radical National Camp (which exist legally), they often adhere to Polish nationalism, and Nazism is generally considered to be against ultra-nationalist principles. Thus, although they are classified as nationalist and fascist movements, at the same time they are considered anti-Nazi. Some of its elements may resemble neo-Nazi features, but these groups often dissociate themselves from the Nazi elements, claiming that such acts are not patriotic and arguing that Nazism misappropriated or slightly altered several pre-existing symbols and characteristics, how to distinguish the Roman salute from the Nazi salute.96
The self-declared neo-Nazi movements in Poland often treat Polish culture and traditions with contempt, are anti-Christian and translate various German texts, which means that they are considered to be pro-German movements.97
According to several researches by reporters, the Polish government turns a blind eye to these groups and is free to spread their ideology, often dismissing their existence as conspiracy theories, discarding provocative political acts, considering them too insignificant to pose a threat or attempting to justify or diminish the seriousness of their actions
Hip-Hop in Poland.
Hip hop in Poland emerged in the early 1990s, when American rappers like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were popular within the Polish music scene. Great rappers like Liroy, O.S.T.R., Sokół and musical groups like Paktofonika, Mor W.A. or Sistars have been crowned as some of the Polish artists with the highest number of sales in Poland’s music charts.1 2 3 Currently Polish hip hop enjoys great popularity in Europe and especially in Eastern Europe.
History
The first studio album to incorporate Polish rap songs was East on the Mic by Liroy, including two songs in his native language. Piotr Liroy, then known as PM Cool Lee, was originally from Kielce. Hip hop in Poland was reinforced by the creation of the Kolor Shock radio programme, which broadcast daily from Warsaw great US rap hits. The broadcast was conducted by Bogna Świątkowska, Paul Jackson, Sylvia Opoku and DJ Volt. The latter, a member of the IKHZ band, would found the first Polish record label fully dedicated to Polish hip hop, Beat Records.
The hip hop scene in Warsaw introduced bands like Trzyha and Molesta. In Poznań, the rapper PH Kopalnia published his album Polski Rap – Zakazane Piosenki. That same year Liroy would release his album Alboom, which included the success «Scyzoryk» (1995). Probably the most recognized Polish hip hop band outside the country is WWO, composed of Sokół, Jędker and DJ Deszczu Strugi. In the mid-2000s, the genre grew stronger, with the emergence of new rappers such as Popek, Donatan and Taco Hemingway.
