Prominent voices in Poland have been declaring their unease at German writer Gunther Grass's honorary citizenship of Gdansk. The awkward scenario emerged in the last few days, following the writer's admission that he had served in the Nazi SS, one of the most infamous branches of the German war machine.
Solidarity hero Lech Walesa was one of the first to declare his distaste at Grass's secret past, whilst members of the ruling Law and Justice Party have now called for a swift revocation of the writer's privileged status.
However, although Grass failed to mention his SS legacy prior to his reception of both the Gdansk honour and the more widely appreciated Nobel Prize, it is common knowledge that the author served in the Wehrmacht in some form. As far as the SS period goes, it appears that the writer was only drafted into the outfit in the dying days of the war, when he himself was merely seventeen.
Nevertheless, even though Grass was something of a youngster when the war broke out, the matter which many Germans themselves are finding hard to swallow is that Grass set himself up as a moral authority in recent decades, regularly chastising those who did not confront their pasts.
Perhaps it would be best for the Poles to not get too upset and leave it to Grass's own conscience whether he returns the honour or not.
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