Maciej Giertych facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maciej Marian Giertych
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| Member of the European Parliament for Poland |
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| In office 2004–2009 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1936 Warsaw, Poland |
| Political party | League of Polish Families |
| Spouse | Antonina Giertych née Jachink |
| Alma mater | Oxford University, University of Toronto |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Tree genetics and Tree physiology |
Maciej Marian Giertych (born 24 March 1936 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish scientist who studies trees and a former politician. As a scientist, he is an expert in dendrology, which is the study of trees and woody plants. In politics, he was a member of the League of Polish Families, a party with conservative and nationalist views.
He served in the Sejm, which is the lower house of the Polish parliament, from 2001 to 2004. After that, he was a member of the European Parliament for Poland from 2004 to 2009. In 2005, he ran for president of Poland but later dropped out of the race. Giertych is also well-known for his support of creationism, the belief that the universe and life were created by a divine being.
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Early Life and Education
Maciej Giertych was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1936. His father, Jędrzej Giertych, was a well-known writer and politician. Maciej was one of nine children. His brother, Wojciech Giertych, is a respected theologian.
In 1945, after World War II, his family left Poland and eventually moved to the United Kingdom. Giertych attended Oxford University, where he studied forestry and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. He then moved to Canada to study at the University of Toronto, where he earned his PhD in plant physiology (the study of how plants function).
Scientific Career
In 1962, Giertych returned to Poland to work as a scientist. He joined the Institute of Dendrology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kórnik. His work focused on the genetics of trees. Over the years, he became a leading expert in his field.
In 1976, he began teaching at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He has published over 200 scientific papers, mostly about forests and trees. In 1989, he was awarded the title of full professor for his contributions to science.
Political Career
Entering Politics
In 1986, Giertych joined an advisory council set up by Wojciech Jaruzelski, the leader of Poland's communist government at the time. This council included people from both the government and the opposition.
After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1990, Giertych continued his scientific work but also became more involved in politics. He joined the National Party of Poland. Later, he and many other members joined the newly formed League of Polish Families (LPR).
Serving in Parliament
In 2001, Giertych was elected to the Sejm, the Polish parliament. He served there for three years. In 2004, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament, representing Poland. In the European Parliament, he and his party members were not part of any of the major political groups. His son, Roman Giertych, was also a leader in the LPR party.
Political and Social Views
Maciej Giertych holds strong conservative views. He was against Poland joining the European Union and has supported closer relationships with Eastern European countries like Russia. He also believes in protecting Polish businesses from what he sees as unfair competition from Western companies.
In 2007, Giertych published a booklet that caused a lot of controversy. Some officials in the European Union and several Jewish organizations felt the booklet was prejudiced against Jewish people. The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, officially criticized the booklet, stating that it went against the values of human dignity that the Parliament supports.
Views on Creationism
Giertych is a supporter of creationism. This is the belief that the universe and all life were created by God. He has said that his views on this topic changed over time. He once accepted the theory of evolution but now questions it.
He is an honorary member of the Daylight Origins Society, a creationist group in the United Kingdom. In 2006, he organized a seminar at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss the teaching of evolution in schools.
Giertych has stated that his criticism of evolution comes from his perspective as a scientist. He appeared in the 2008 American documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, where he discussed his views on the theory of evolution.
