User:Tweenk/Smolensk sabotage
Smolensk sabotage (Polish: zamach smoleński) is a conspiracy theory popular in Poland, especially among the supporters of the Law and Justice (PiS) party. Its main claim is that the plane crash on April 10, 2010 near the Smolensk airport, which killed 96 people including then-President Lech Kaczyński and many high-ranking government officials, was deliberately caused by the Russians, with possible cooperation from the Polish government controlled by rival party Civic Platform. The most absurd versions are promoted by Antoni Macierewicz, a Law and Justice MP. The details vary widely, and none of the variants makes much sense. Due to its intense politicization, Smolensk sabotage can be considered a close analogue to birtherism in the United States.
Political context
- See Poland#Politics for an overview of Polish political parties
Claims
Details vary widely between proponents. Here are the most common ideas:
- Not everyone died in the crash, but the survivors were killed by Russians. This allegation is supported in a classy Loose Change fashion by a low quality recording made by a local who arrived at the crash site. Some sounds in the video are interpreted as gunshots. However, similar sounds can be heard on videos made at crash sites of similar aircraft, indicating that these are the sounds of aircraft components or cargo exploding in the fire.