I. Offences motivated by racism and xenophobia
The fear of refugees helped the Law and Justice to win the parliamentary elections of 2015. At that time, the party used to expressly promote its anti-immigration philosophy, which was soon reflected by the growing ratio of assaults on the grounds of racism and xenophobia. In 2018, IBRiS Institute conducted a public survey in which 53% of respondents stated that they were against admitting refugees into the territory of Poland. Just a year before, the same opinion was shared by 60% of respondents, and many of them preferred leaving the EU (the so-called Polexit) to letting refugees enter into the Polish territory.
However, another opinion poll conducted in January 2021 by Kantar upon request of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, demonstrated that 77 % of Poles believed that Poland should help anyone forced to free from their homeland because of a war or prosecution. Eventually, the arguments concerning potential threats caused by refugees, so eagerly exploited by the Law and Justice, have become wacked out, and the Poles lost their interest in the topic.
According to the official data collected by the Office for Foreigners, at the end of 2020 the number of temporary residence permit holders in the Republic of Poland was ca. 267 thousand, and 78 thousand of aliens applied for permanent residence permits. Overall, by the end of 2020, ca. 450 aliens arrived in Poland in connection with residential, employment-related or educational purposes. The first statistical results in 2021 point out to the further increase in immigration figures. The majority of migrants are among people aged 20-39.
This does not imply, however, that the rate of crime motivated by racism and xenophobia has substantially decreased in Poland. According to the public opinion polls conducted in 2020, the Poles are particularly reluctant towards Arabs (65%), Romani people (57%), Russians (43%), Ukrainians (41%), Romanians (40%) and Jews (33%) [Omuła-Rudzka M. (2020). Communication from CBOS research. Relationship to other nations. Warsaw: Foundation Center for Public Opinion Research].
After the murder of George Floyd, during the Black Lives Matter protests, people all around the world also started organising anti-racist rallies. On 6 June 2020, such rally took place in front of the US Embassy in Warsaw. One of the protesters was a ten-year-old half Nigerian, Bianka Nwolisa. The picture of the girl holding a banner saying: “Stop calling me Murzyn [Negro]” broadly circulated across the Polish mass media and sparked a general debate on the discrimination against black people and the language of racism. In March 2021, the Polish Language Council composed of ca. 40 experts recommended avoiding the use of this widespread definition of a black person in the media, public administration institutions and schools. At its plenary session, the Council resolved that “Murzyn” is an offensive term which brings about negative connotations.
What should be noted is that discrimination and the prevalence of racism and hate crimes targeted as minorities have increased during COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Democracy – SWPS University in April 2020, 45 % of Poles believe in conspiracy theories such as “some alien forces, or maybe countries, wilfully contribute the spreading of COVID-19” (only 42 % of respondents trusted scientific knowledge about the virus and its origin). In our report we have described a number of assaults at representatives of various minority groups who have been groundlessly accused of spreading SARS-Cov-2. Many examples of hate speech and conspiracy theories proliferated by the extreme right-wingers have been reported by NEVER AGAIN Association in their report titled “Wirus nienawiści: Brunatna Księga czasu epidemii” [A Hate Virus. The Brown Book of the Time of Pandemic].
30 January 2020, Gdańsk. Attack on Chinese students, the reason: coronavirus
Three Polish students accosted their Chinese colleagues in the university building, covering their noses. “I told them that they didn’t have to do that because we were healthy. Then, for no reason, one of them showed us the middle finger and started calling us very vulgar words,” said one of the Chinese students. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras, so the three Poles were threatened with expulsion from the university.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
6 February 2020, Tychy. Criminal threats against a Ukrainian family
Under a social media post about a Ukrainian family of four looking for a flat to rent, one of the commenters threatened: “F**k off and go back to you own country or I’ll buy a machete and give you a massacre in Silesia just like you did in Volhynia”. The author of this hateful comment was quickly picked up by internet users and the case was referred to the prosecutor’s office.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
9 February 2020, Toruń. Beating of five people on grounds of nationality
The victims — including people from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia — were attacked in the city centre. The attackers shouted “Poland for Poles” and “F**k Ukrainians”. “The cause of the attack by a group of young people was a conversation in Russian in our group. They had no qualms about beating a girl. Our friend, who is a repatriated Pole, has a fractured skull bone,” one of the victims wrote on a social networking site. The perpetrators were recorded by CCTV cameras and the police were looking for people who could help to identify the suspects.
Current status of the case: one of the attackers was found and arrested during a shoplifting incident, but the status of the case involving the beating of foreigners remains unknown.
17 February 2020, Sokółka poviat. Public insult of Moroccans
On a popular social networking site, a man insulted people he didn’t know because of their skin colour and ethnicity. Based on a post entitled “Apparently mommy’s not lacking anything either, since she’s been hanging out with black d**ks?”, the Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior has reported the case to the prosecutor’s office.
Current status of the case: the District Court in Sokółka sentenced the man to six months’ restriction of liberty in the form of 20 hours of community service per month.
18 February 2020, Rzeszów. Attack on a Polish citizen from Bangladesh
The victim was involved in a traffic incident. At a street intersection, he had to brake sharply because a woman driving in front of him also braked suddenly, having previously failed to yield. The 55-year-old instinctively pressed the horn. When he stopped, an unknown man approached his car, opened the car door from the driver’s side, addressed the victim with the words “don’t honk at a Pole” and then hit him in the face. Police have published an image of the perpetrator online, asking for help in finding him.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
22 February 2020, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. Pole beaten by three Ukrainians
Ukrainians severely beat up a resident of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. The man suffered grievous bodily harm and was taken to hospital. The three attackers did not spare his relatives either, beating them as well. The court placed them under arrest for three months.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
8 March 2020, Wrocław. Brutal beating of a Pole of Chinese origin
A group of assailants beat a Polish citizen originating from China to unconsciousness. The men spat in his face and knocked him to the ground with punches. The man was taken to hospital. He has lived in Wrocław for 25 years and is a well-known cook. In the past he received an award from the mayor of the city for promoting Wrocław as a place friendly to foreigners. Many xenophobic comments have appeared on the Internet under articles describing the attack, including: “The Chinese guy deserved it. After all, they were the ones that brought in that coronavirus. Why did he even come here?”. His wife also reported other similarly motivated incidents the man encountered.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
19 march 2020, Łuków. Juvenile assault on a 59-year-old Vietnamese woman
Three students of a local primary school attacked a Vietnamese woman who had been living in Poland for 20 years. They shouted at her that “she is from China”, “she has coronavirus”, “Get the f**k out of here, b**ch” and “F**k you, Chinese”. They also threw stones and rubbish, spat in her direction, and one of them pushed her. When the woman tried to leave, they followed her. The young attackers were aged between 10 and 14. Police were investigating the case of insult on grounds of nationality and violation of bodily integrity. The Łuków District Court registered the incident as “a case of demoralisation and a criminal act” and ordered the probation officer to conduct community interviews and set the first hearing for 7 December 2020.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
25 March 2020, Sosnowiec. Xenophobic insults directed at a Chinese scientist
Three men hurled xenophobic insults at a Chinese researcher working with the University of Silesia. The victim was unable to pass them, she was surrounded and the attackers shouted “virus” and “China” in her direction. The assaulted woman was terrified. Police said the first of the detained attackers will answer for insulting a woman because of her origin and was also given a fine for moving around the city in a group, despite the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The other man involved in the incident was also fined. The third has already been subject to misdemeanour proceedings.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
April 2020, Poznań. Attack on the flat of a Filipino
At 3:00 a.m., unknown perpetrators broke the window panes of a Filipino family’s flat with stones. The family reported the case to the media, saying that this attack could be related to coronavirus. “We came from Asia. Some Filipinos experienced being shouted at in the street: “Corona! Corona!”. (…) One of the Filipinos was spat upon in the face and someone shouted: “Chinese!” We have been living here for four years and have not encountered such behaviour before. We are very scared,” confessed the father of the family. Shortly after the case was publicised, the situation recurred. The mayor apologised to the foreigner and promised to help, and the police looked into the matter.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
1 June 2020, Skarżysko Kościelne. Public dehumanisation of black people
On a popular social networking site, a man publicly insulted a group of people because of their racial affiliation. In a public post, he expressed an opinion about black people that was dehumanising. The case was reported to the public prosecutor’s office in Kielce.
Current status of the case: the District Court in Skarżysko-Kamienna ordered the perpetrator to pay a fine of PLN 2400.
4 June 2020, Zielona Góra. Insulting of a Ukrainian waiter
A 53-year-old resident of Warsaw insulted a Ukrainian waiter who, according to him, had issued him an incorrect invoice. The insult pointed to the waiter’s nationality. The man himself recorded and posted on the Internet a video in which he insults a Ukrainian, claiming that it was the waiter who insulted him. In the footage, you can hear the aggressor calling the waiter a “wh*re”, “UPA guerilla” and an immigrant who needs to “f**k off”. At the same time, the restaurant stood by its employee, calling him “the quintessential example of culture and good manners”. The perpetrator was arrested eight days later in Gdańsk.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
10 June 2020, Toruń. Death threats against a Tunisian man
The 28-year-old first punched the citizen of the Republic of Tunisia in the back and then addressed him with threats of killing him because of his nationality. In addition, he spat at the foreigner and told him to “get the f**k out of here”, saying that he was dirty and threatening to burn down his restaurant and then kill him. The attacker did not admit to committing the alleged act and refused to give explanations.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
10 June 2020, Gdańsk. Insult of a security guard by a young Ukrainian woman
A Ukrainian citizen attempted twice to steal items in a shopping mall, and when a security guard intervened with her past the checkout line, the woman pulled and insulted him because of his nationality. She was apprehended a month later on suspicion of setting fire to the doors of the shopping mall, which caused a fire and damaged the facility. The 32-year-old faces five charges and ten years’ imprisonment. The court arrested her for three months.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
20-21 June 2020, Germany. Poles attacked Ukrainian drivers
On the A9 motorway in Germany, a Polish bus driver first persuaded other chauffeurs to drink vodka with him. When they refused, he felt offended and attacked two Ukrainians with his friend. Armed with a 50-centimetre crowbar, the 40-year-old Pole and his friend, a 50-year-old compatriot, went after the Ukrainians, dragged them both out of the cabin, hit them with a bar and fists, and when they were both knocked to the ground, kicked and strangled them. The assaulted drivers suffered numerous injuries, bruises and abrasions. One of them was diagnosed with a concussion and was transported to hospital. At the request of the prosecutor, the German court made a decision on temporary detention.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
27 June 2020, Zabrze. Beating and robbing of a Ukrainian
The incident occurred outside one of the stores of a popular chain. The attackers first beat up a 46-year-old Ukrainian citizen and then took his mobile phone. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras and the Zabrze police asked for help in finding the perpetrators.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
27 June 2020, Cracow. Public insult of a security guard from Belarus
“F**king Ukrainian! He wants to f**king rule in Poland!” — shouted the man to the store employee who asked him to put on a face mask due to the regulations in force. The Belarusian citizen asked the perpetrator to wear a mask or leave the shop. However, the man became more and more agitated, provoked the security guard by waving his hands in front of his face, and even spat on him. When he heard that the security guard spoke Russian, he then started insulting the national origin of the security guard in vulgar words and again spat on him several times. The incident was interrupted by the shop manager who ordered the aggressive man to leave the premises of the discount shop immediately. The 37-year-old left the store throwing baskets around. The public prosecutor’s office imposed police supervision on him. In addition, the man is forbidden to contact the victim and to approach him.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
28 June 2020, Legnica. Brutal attack on a Ukrainian married couple
According to witnesses, two men accosted the foreign couple who were sitting in the garden of a restaurant. The attackers, passing the premises, shouted: “Poland for Poles” and “Get the f**k back to your country” because they did not like hearing the Ukrainian language. First, they insulted the husband and wife, and then beat them up. The restaurant staff called the police, but by the time they showed up, the men had managed to escape.
Current status of the case: The perpetrators have still not been apprehended.
28 June 2020, Międzyzdroje. Severe beating of a Ukrainian man on grounds of nationality
In a local bar, a young IT specialist from Ukraine heard from one of the customers that his presence there was unnecessary. When he left the bar, one of the four perpetrators, without warning, grabbed him from behind by the neck and strangled him. The others began beating him. When the man fell, they kicked him all over his body, mostly on his head. The victim has a battered face, a broken nose and four teeth knocked out. He has bruises all over his body. None of the witnesses reacted or called an ambulance. “This is how Ukrainians are treated in Poland” — these were the last words the victim heard before he lost consciousness. Although he does not remember it, a moment later, covered in blood, he stopped an oncoming police car. He woke up in hospital. The case was investigated by the public prosecutor’s office in Szczecin. As it turned out, a case is already pending in a Szczecin court against a group of young men who attacked several people from Ukraine in a park in Międzyzdroje. Among them were women and children.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
14 July 2020, Wieliczka. Racist attack and beating of a teacher
A resident of Wieliczka, who was a teacher at one of Cracow’s schools, stood up for a citizen of Congo who fell victim to offensive, racist words from two young men on a city bus. “Hey, look, a darkie! Let’s have some fun” — said the attackers. When everyone got out of the vehicle, a racist attack on the Congolese man and a beating of his defender took place. The teacher was sprayed with pepper spray and then beaten on the head with a bottle. Police detained the aggressors who were arrested for three months.
Current status of the case: an indictment in the case was filed in court in March this year. The perpetrators face up to ten years in prison. One of them pleads not guilty.
14 July 2020, Warsaw. Racist attack on a Spaniard and an Egyptian
Two foreigners were subject to a racially-motivated attack at the checkout by a female customer standing behind them and her husband, who later turned out to be a shop security guard. After paying for their shopping and heading towards the exit, the foreigners were stopped by the man and the aggressive woman started beating them, taking off the mask of one of them during the incident. “The man who was blocking the entrance pressed Iban to the ground. I approached Iban to help him and free him from the man. Suddenly three-four other men appeared out of nowhere! They started beating and choking us. We told them that we didn’t want to fight, but nobody was listening. Iban’s nose started to bleed. We were both strangled from behind. Everything fell out of our pockets. They destroyed our backpack. We even lost the key to our apartment during the attack! (…) The woman started shouting loudly and saying something in Polish about Arabs and Spaniards. She made people in Biedronka really afraid of us. Everyone looked at us as if we were s**t. But we were the victims and we were the ones attacked! We were beaten and harassed both verbally and physically! Eventually the police arrived and we told them what had happened. The woman spoke Polish all the time, so we could not understand the lies she was telling the police,” the victims wrote on social media. Later that day, the men reported the case to the police, but there were some discrepancies between their statements and what they wrote on social media. According to a statement from the shop’s management, criminal proceedings for racist crimes were already pending against the woman who attacked the men at the checkout.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
16 July 2020, Ropczyce. Insult of Turkish siblings on grounds of nationality
A man entered a catering establishment and threatened foreigners — the owners of the establishment — with a telescopic baton. He also insulted the man and his sister. The aggressive 25-year-old was arrested by police. He will answer for insulting Turkish citizens on grounds of nationality. The prosecutor decided to put him under police supervision. The attacker has been banned from approaching the victims, contacting them and also from leaving the country. The case was also brought to court.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
31 July 2020, Toruń. Verbal and physical attack on a group of Germans
An intoxicated 18-year-old attacked a group of five Germans and a Polish woman accompanying them in the centre of the Old Town. He called the foreigners “Nazis” and punched three of them in the face with his fist. He also insulted and punched the Polish woman accompanying them in the face. The woman’s lip split. The young man partially admitted to committing the alleged acts. He said he did not remember much because of the alcohol he had consumed.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
2 August 2020, Cracow. Racially motivated beating of foreigners
Four foreigners (citizens of Nigeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the United States) standing in front of a restaurant were approached by a group of people who started insulting and calling them names because of their racial affiliation. They then went from words to actions, pushing, hitting and kicking the foreigners. As it later turned out, one of the foreigners suffered an ankle sprain during the attack. A Polish citizen who stood up for foreign visitors also suffered. In addition, the aggressors took a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims. It was only when one of the attacked men notified the police about the whole incident by phone that the aggressors fled. On September 3, police temporarily arrested two of the perpetrators.
Current status of the case: The status of the case of the perpetrators arrested in September remains unknown. The other four aggressors have still not been found.
3-9 August 2020, Katowice. Assault and robbery on racist grounds
The attack took place between 3 and 9 August. Its victim was an Egyptian-born kebab stall owner. The man was attacked by two assailants — he was hit on the head with a brick and then robbed of all the money he was carrying. The attackers fled deep into the housing estate. The police took up the case and the residents of the estate, in a gesture of solidarity, organised a “Tip” campaign to help the Egyptian financially.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
4 August 2020, Krośniewice. Attack on Poles by Georgians armed with machetes
A group of men from Georgia committed an attack with machetes on four men and a woman. Two people were taken to hospital. A witness to the incident recorded the moment when the group of men attacked the local residents. A video taken by a witness to the incident was incorrectly described as showing the attackers to be Ukrainians. The police do not exclude the possibility that the beating took place due to national or religious differences. Officers arrested 14 people involved in the attack.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
28 August 2020, Poznań. Racist attack on a family with a nine-year-old child
A nine-year-old boy and his older brother were attacked in Poznań’s Rataje district on Friday. The 31-year-old aggressor did not like the darker skin colour of two brothers living in the estate. He allegedly called them vulgar insults and shouted: “Get the f**k out of here! Poland for Poles”. He then battered the boys’ intervening mother and beat up a man who tried to calm him down. The aggressor was captured by residents and arrested by police officers.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
28 August 2020, Warsaw. Attack on a Vietnamese woman and criminal threats against the woman defending her
Two men arrogantly addressed a Vietnamese woman working at a bar. They said: “Get the f**k out of Poland, you slant-eyed idiot!”, waving their arms at the same time. Even after they had received the ordered dish, they still behaved aggressively. They also mocked another female customer who tried to react to their behaviour. When she finally reached for her phone and went outside to call the police, one of the men came up behind her and began making death threats while calling her a slut and wh*re. “And when he heard that I was giving the address of the bar I was calling from, he pushed me, then threw food at me and spat on me,” the customer reported. Random passers-by came to her defence. Several of them overpowered the charging man who tried to chase the woman. However, they did not manage to hold the attackers till the arrival of police officers who reached the scene after an hour.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
30 August 2020, Słubice. Racist assault and brutal beating of a Ukrainian
One of the attackers accosted the 30-year-old, asking about his nationality. When he found out that the man was from Ukraine, the four men started beating him. “They beat and kicked me on the head, on the back, and jumped on me when I was already on the ground. It must have been very noisy, because people started to look out of the windows, and after a while a woman and men appeared on the spot and chased the perpetrators away” — testified the Ukrainian, and his words were confirmed by numerous head injuries. The victim began to search on his own for witnesses to the incident.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
8 September 2020, Jędrzejów. Brutal beating of a Vietnamese man
A 36-year-old man who does not speak Polish was assaulted and severely beaten. Police and paramedics found him in a serious condition. He had a battered face, a broken nose and broken ribs. He was taken to hospital. Police began searching for the perpetrator; they believe the attack was not a robbery.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
20 September 2020, Niewiadów. Beating, robbing and insulting a Ukrainian
A 26-year-old man attacked a Ukrainian citizen riding a bicycle, stole his documents and started insulting him in public because of the origin of the victim. The aggressor kicked the 20-year-old’s bike, then punched him in the head and began insulting him. He also took his backpack with his shopping and passport and then fled. Two days later he was arrested by the police. He faced charges of robbery, document theft and insult.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
October 2020, Plock. Public online insulting of Ukrainians
A woman publicly insulted Ukrainians on one of the popular social networking sites, calling them, among other epithets, “vicious, cunning rats”, “savages”, “drug addicts, drunks and whoremongers” with “the mentality of murderers the same as their ancestors from Volhynia”, who “do not respect Poles, pretend to work, prefer to work as prostitutes, just to have fun”. The woman addressed these words, among others, to a Ukrainian woman who tried to discuss with her and explain that she was using unfair stereotypes. This only prompted even greater anger from Jolanta C. and more insults. The case was investigated by the Płock prosecutor’s office.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
20 October 2020, Białystok. Racist attack on female students from Zambia
The students were attacked in a vulgar manner by an aggressive woman. The perpetrator used racist insults towards them. One of the women attacked managed to record the end of the incident. The reason for this attack was the dark complexion of the two women. The behaviour of the aggressor was unequivocally condemned by the deputies of the Mayor of Białystok. The case was handled by the police and local media wrote about a possible sentence of up to three years for the perpetrator of the attack.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
2-3 November 2020, Wola Szydłowska. Robbery and beating of a Ukrainian
Three men took a Ukrainian citizen working in the Mława area into their car. Near Wola Szydłowska, they beat and robbed him. They took his phone, money and passport and then left the man on the road. The injured victim reached the closest buildings and called for help. One of the robbery suspects was arrested on November 3. The two accomplices ended up in police hands over the next few days. All three were arrested by court decision for three months.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
15 November 2020, Warsaw. Racist attack on a Pakistani child
The incident took place on a playground where the nine-year-old boy was playing. His neighbour not only called and insulted the child, but also tugged his hair. “The man grabbed my son by his jacket from the front and pulled with all his strength. Then he grabbed his hood and his hair. He shouted: ‘you thief, gypsy, nigger!’. My son shouted: ‘Daddy, help!’, but I didn’t hear it,” said the child’s father, who reported the case to the police. However, the officers initially discouraged him from seeking justice. They eventually accepted his report, interviewed witnesses and ensured that the materials would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
23 November 2020, Cracow. Assault by a security guard on a student from Ukraine
A young man from Ukraine went to the Biedronka discount shop to buy a birthday present for his younger sister. The 20-year-old paid for his shopping, went outside and was then knocked to the ground and handcuffed by the security guard. He was also sprayed in the face with pepper spray. “When I realised who this gentleman was, I asked him with a characteristic Eastern accent what was going on here. I started screaming that I was suffocating. I asked passers-by for help, for someone to call the police. Nobody helped me. Literally nobody. Cracovians walked past me without even noticing […] He growled at me: ‘Shut up, f**king Ukrainian’,” — wrote the man on Facebook. The security guard dragged the student back into the shop and only let him go when the boy showed him the receipt from the shop’s cash register. “After looking at the crumpled piece of paper for a minute, he took the cuffs off me and pushed me back out into the shop hall. He didn’t say anything to me. He neither apologised nor said he had made a mistake – he just pushed me away,” — described the 20-year-old. The police have opened an investigation into the case for unlawful deprivation of liberty. The security guard faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for this act. Both the Biedronka chain and the security agency have already apologised to the student for the incident. The security guard was fired from his job.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
22 December 2020, Częstochowa. Racist attack on an Indian and an Iraqi
A car crash occurred near an establishment where a well-known local Iraqi restaurateur was holding a staff Christmas Eve party. Several people, including an Indian national, ran to help the victims. As they were heading back, the Indian was unexpectedly attacked by a drunken man. He grabbed him by the arm, started choking him from behind and dragged him towards the Cleopatra restaurant. The Iraqi and the Indian were also addressed with the following insults: “You filthy bastard, this is not your country”, “You are a towel-head and Abdull”, “get the f**k out of here”.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
26 December 2020, Szczecin. Ukrainian man beaten during police interrogation
Szczecin police officers detained a Ukrainian man suspected of shoplifting and insulting a shop assistant. After taking him to the police station, one of the police officers attacked the man with a telescopic baton in order to force him to confess or admit his guilt. The Ukrainian filed a complaint against the officers, and the case was taken up by the Police Internal Affairs Bureau. Four officers from the West Pomeranian garrison were detained and faced prosecution charges. One of the detained police officers has already filed the so-called report of immediate dismissal from service. On December 28, the court arrested one of the police officers for a month. Three police officers were put under police supervision and banned from contacting the victim.
II Offences motivated by homophobia
The hate campaign against LGBT+ community in Poland started in October 2018, and it became, in the summer of 2020, one of the keynotes of Andrzej Duda’s successful presidential campaign. At his election rally, Andrzej Duda once stated that LGBT+ people “were not humans, but an ideology”, and undertook other dehumanising attempts aimed at inciting the sense of hostility and fear among voters. On 6 July 2020, President executed a draft amendment to the Polish Constitution banning adoption of children by same-sex couples.
By the end of 2019, more than eighty local governments proclaimed their regions “LGBT-free zones” or “LGBT ideology- free zones”. In 2020, the number of such regions increased to 94, which meant that one-third of Polish self-governments were against LGBT+. Meanwhile, ca. 40 administrative units adopted the so-called “Family Charter” [i.e., Karta Rodziny], a document proposed by Ordo Iuris Institute, an extreme right-wing organisation. In July 2020, the European Commission announced that the infringement proceedings were initiated against Poland in connection with “LGBT ideology-free zones” resolutions adopted by several self-governments. As a consequence, six Polish municipalities were cut off from Town Twinning Programme subsidies, in connection with the discrimination of people on the grounds of their sexual orientation. The decision was sharply condemned by the Polish Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, who provided an alternative financing source for one of those municipalities (Municipality of Tuchów) based on the so-called Justice Fund, which was originally intended for crime victims, and suggested that other municipalities also deserved to be rewarded for defending traditional family values.
Soon there appeared vans covered with homophobic banners, equipped with bullhorns which spat out hate slogans linking homosexuality with paedophilia. In some cases, the vehicles were stopped by LGBT+ activists, or even by plain citizens tired of such noise and propaganda. Some vans were guarded by the Police. On 27 June, Małgorzata „Margot” Szutowicz.made a charge at one of such vans and its driver. As a result, the court issued a temporary arrest warrant and remanded Margot in 2 months’ custody, considering the prosecutor’s appeal. Margot’s supporters organised a rally in front of the Warsaw’s domicile of the Campaign Against Homophobia [KPH]. The protesters marched towards Krakowskie Przedmieście, where they clashed with the Police, and many of them were detained. The court in Wrocław adjudicated that the campaign linking homosexuality with paedophilia was protected by the freedom of speech rule, and its purpose was “informational and educational”. Therefore, it did not infringe with any rights of LGBT+ people. The police interventions in the protests (later nicknamed as the “rainbow night”) and the subsequent court proceedings have been described in a report drafted by Szpila, an organisation offering a legal support to participants of anti-government protests in Poland.
The Law and Justice has also contributed to the spreading of hate speech targeted at LGBT+ on the pro-government mass media. A good example was DoRzeczy, a weekly magazine, which compared LGBT+ activists to communists. Some weeks later President Andrzej Duda also claimed that the “LGBT ideology” was more destructive than communism. Przemysław Czarnek, the newly appointed Minister of Education, and Law and Justice member, went even further by arguing that: “we should finish that discussion on LGBT obscenities”: “Let’s stop listening to all those absurdities on human rights or equality. These people are not equal to normal ones”.
The survey results published in November by Równość.org.pl demonstrated that in Cracow alone the number of assaults at LGBT+ individuals increased over the past three months by 61%. Meanwhile, according to KPH, three out of ten LGBT+ individuals have been victims to various types of violence (i.e. physical assaults, verbal offences, ridicule).
20 January 2020, Kraków. Homophobic “No entry” sign aimed at the LGBT community
An unknown perpetrator placed a “traffic sign” printed on a sheet of paper next to the entrance to a Kraków housing estate. The sign read “No entry. LGBT-free zone.” The letters LGBT are inscribed in the sign circle. Residents said this was not the first incident of this kind in the area. When asked how to react, the municipal guard suggested reporting the situation to the housing association, while the police had no advice at all.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
23 January 2020, Rzeszów. Public incitement to exterminate LGBTQ+ people
A man commented on a social media post with a photo of a Warsaw house fence with a plate saying “Rainbow plague-free zone”, saying, “The plague is to be fought and exterminated.” This referred to the words of a Catholic bishop, Marek Jędraszewski, who said, “The rainbow plague is like a cholera epidemic. It is something that attacks us and threatens us and from which we need to save ourselves and others. Just like any other disease, it can be treated, too.” The statement was discussed in last year’s report.
Current status of case: The Rzeszow prosecutor’s office sentenced the man to 6 months of restriction of liberty in the form of 30 hours of community service per month.
2 February 2020, Warsaw. Homophobic and discriminatory slurs
A Warsaw resident pointed out to a pizza delivery driver they were not supposed to take their motorbike on the sidewalk as that constituted a hazard to pedestrians. After a brief exchange, already in the pizza restaurant, he and his companion became a target of abusive and discriminatory language, hearing e.g. “You faggot,” “You cunt,” and much more, including descriptions of what should be done to the like of them. Other staff members and guests of the establishment did not react. Police came to the site.
Current status of the case: The delivery driver was officially reprimanded, and representatives of the pizza chain owning the restaurant said they were going to impose a financial penalty, too.
February 2020, Wrocław. Gay couple attacked in broad daylight
In early February, a gay couple was assaulted by three men while taking a walk. First they were called “f*cking faggots” and then one of them was kicked repeatedly. Threats followed, “The next time we see you here, we’ll kill you.” When a police car pulled up to the scene, the hooligans began to disperse. The gay couple was allegedly told by the officers that they had to wait for another patrol because “it’s not their zone.” With that, the police car drove away. Soon after, another patrol arrived. “What was shocking to us was that we told the police officers what happened and they asked: ‘What do the two of you expect from us?’, the men reported. In the meantime, two of the attackers fled and the third did not admit to knowing them. The intervention ended with the officers drafting a report and informing the men that they may file a criminal complaint.
Current status of the case: Two MPs intervened in relation to the attack on the gay couple. The police, however, see no grounds for complaints.
26 June 2020, Gdańsk. Homophobic slurs and insults towards a bus passenger
On a night bus, a tattooed, aggressive man began yelling at one of the passengers, “Are you a faggot? Are you a pansy?” and urged others “Fuck the faggots! Pansies, gays and faggots have to be afraid!” The hateful slurs were audible throughout the bus. Ośrodek Monitorowania Zachowań Rasistowskich i Ksenofobicznych (Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behaviour) asked Internet users to help locate the aggressor. The police, too, took on the case.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
June 2020, Otwock. Homophobic aggression prompted by a rainbow facemask
A woman standing in line at a chain restaurant asked an unmasked man queuing behind her to maintain distance. In response, she got a flurry of swear words and homophobic aggression – she was wearing a rainbow facemask and had a rainbow tattoo on her arm. The man calmed down after the staff intervened, and the woman left the restaurant and sat down on a nearby bench to rest. The aggressor got there with two of his pals. They started to make hateful comments, “remember, no faggot shit is going to tell me what I’m supposed to do”. Then they threw a soft drink at the woman and tore her facemask off. Restaurant security intervened and the case was reported to the police.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
13 June – 3 August 2020, Warszawa, Toruń. Public insults against the LGBTQ+ community
During the presidential campaign, PiS MP, Lublin governor and Lublin Catholic University lecturer Przemyslaw Czarnek said, “Let us defend ourselves from LGBT ideology and stop listening to this idiocy about some human rights or some equality. These people are not equal to normal people; let’s finally do away this discussion.”. Less than two months later he observed in a Radio Maryja broadcast, “there is no doubt that all this LGBT ideology growing out of neo-Marxism (and that out of Marxism) originates from the same root as Hitler’s German National Socialism, responsible for all the evils of World War II, the destruction of Warsaw and the murder of its insurgents.” These words outraged opposition MPs, who filed a motion to penalise the politician, as well as the LGBTQ+ community and academia. In October last year, Czarnek was sued for violation of personal rights by, among others, a professor of law at the University of Warsaw. In November, the Parliamentary Ethics Committee reprimanded the politician.
Current status of case: Court case – pending. In the meantime, MP Czarnek received the title of professor (despite lacking the required academic achievement level). Even though he was subjected to disciplinary proceedings at the university for his homophobic remarks, even before its official conclusion the disciplinary ombudsman hastened to clarify that the MP-professor is not even threatened with an official reprimand. In October last year, Czarnek was appointed Minister of Education and Science.
4 July 2020, Kraków. Brutal beating in front of a gay club
Two armed men approached a group standing outside an LGBT-friendly club. The assailants attacked members of the group, including a woman, with sticks, hitting her on the head and threatening to kill everyone. The woman’s boyfriend was hit on the head several times and ended up in the hospital. Police stressed that even if they found the attackers, they could not charge them without a criminal complaint. The two perpetrators were apprehended in August and September, respectively. One was taken into custody, the other was placed under police supervision.
Current status of the case: The perpetrators testified that they mistook the victims for another group of people with whom they had gotten into a fight earlier that night and then fled. After a while, however, they returned to the scene, eager to get back at them. That is when the attack in front of the gay club took place, with the perpetrators thinking they were attacking the people by whom they had previously been assaulted.
6 July 2020, Warszaw. Stigmatising graffiti under a same-sex couple’s window
Someone spray painted “f*ck LGBT” under a Warsaw tenement house’s windows. To make it clear whose window they wanted to “mark”, the unknown perpetrators added arrows to their message. The window indicated indeed belonged to an apartment inhabited by a homosexual couple. The case was taken up by the Ombudsman and a Warsaw councillor, who said he would report the case to the prosecutor’s office. The couple’s neighbours, in a gesture of solidarity, covered the insulting graffiti with cards bearing messages of support.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
31 July 2020, Poznań. Homophobic statements by a public radio journalist
On the night of July 28/29 last year, several major monuments in Warsaw were decorated with rainbow flags. The idea was to fight homophobia. One of the flags was mounted on a statue of Christ bearing the cross, which outraged right-wing circles. Despite the fact that the whole thing has nothing to do with Poznań, Radio Poznań devoted its whole Friday “Kluczowy temat” (Key Issue) edition to cover the story. The presenter said on air, “During World War II, fascists profaned the statue of Christ in Warsaw. Now other barbarians, wielding a rainbow banner, did just the same. The fascists did not manage to destroy the statue of Christ and neither will the rainbow plague, though.” The National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) received a complaint regarding the journalist’s words. In its response, however, the KRRiT stated that the head of the radio station did not find anything reprehensible in the statement, and that the journalist, when speaking about the “rainbow plague”, was using his freedom of speech.
Current status of the case: In January this year, the Media Ethics Council declared that the journalist had violated the principles of respect and tolerance enshrined in the Media Ethics Charter. Four members of the outgoing Radio Poznań programme council submitted a complaint to the head of the National Broadcasting Council. Its authors’ calculations revealed that over 72 days in 2020 the said journalist spoke on air as many as 36 times in a manner that “targeted the LGBT community”. In the meantime, the journalist continues to be employed by Radio Poznań and to host its “Kluczowy temat” programme.
July 2020, Żywiec. Incitement to hatred and murder of homosexuals
A man posted a comment on a popular social media site, calling for hatred and murder of LGBTQ+ people. As he stated, “The time has come to f*ck this f*cking faggotry and light up the furnaces in Auschwitz. Hitler would have dealt with this queerness nicely, oh, how useful he would have been today.” On 30 December 2020, the prosecutor’s office issued an indictment in the said case.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
7 August 2020, Warsaw. Homophobic poster in the centre of Warsaw
Last Friday, a poster was hung on a board in front of the capital’s Basilica. It read “Fag-free Warsaw. Warsaw Accord”. “In doing so, the men made loud threatening claims that football hooligans and neo-Nazis had struck an accord to organise hunts for homosexual people in the streets of Warsaw,” Ośrodek Monitorowania Zachowań Rasistowskich i Ksenofobicznych (Centre for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behaviour) has reported, while announcing they were going to file a criminal complaint. Apart from the wording, the poster included the coats of arms of 19 football clubs, including one from the Warsaw Marymont district. A similar accord was struck by football hooligans before last year’s Białystok Pride that culminated in brutal assault on LGBT+ individuals. Some of the clubs whose coats of arms were used dissociated themselves from the provocation, claiming that their symbols had been used without their knowledge or will.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
7 August 2020, Poznań. Teenagers attacked for their hair color
Two teenage girls were on a playground when a group of people – two women (one of whom was said to be pregnant), two men, and several children – appeared in the area. One of the children pointed out the teenager’s pink hair. This started a row. One woman reportedly shouted that it was “mental illness and pathology” and asked the pink-haired teenager if she should “punch her in that pretty face” When the teenager responded saying she would report an assault if it comes to that, she was attacked physically. The other woman also started yanking on her friend. A lot of people were reported to have been around, but no one reacted. When the attackers left, one of the teens called her father. He came to the scene and found the aggressors, but the women continued their arrogant behavior. Their partners joined in and reportedly attacked the victim’s father. This time no one rushed to help either, not even the driver of the cab the aggressors had called. The incident was reported to the police. Witnesses and perpetrators were soon found. The fate of the latter was to be decided by the prosecutor, as their testimonies contradicted those of the victims.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
7,9 August 2020, Zachodniopomorskie voivodeship. Public incitement to murder LGBTQ+ people
On a popular social networking site, a man publicly called for the crime of homosexual homicide. On 7 August he posted, “God created Adam and Eve. Destroy the rest of the faggotry.” Then on 9 August, “There should be an institution, an organised group that would find and catch them all over Poland. Clean up the country society. All these homo hybrids pervert” (spelling/style matches the original). An NGO has notified the prosecutor’s office.
Current status of case: The prosecutor’s office refused to prosecute the man, explaining that the word “faggotry” only referred to a human trait, so the man was calling for the elimination of that trait, not homosexuals themselves[1], [2].
11 August 2020, Poznań. A gay man beaten with an telescopic baton
A gay man relaxing on the beach was attacked by several intoxicated men. The perpetrators robbed him, and one of them beat him on the head and face with his fists and a telescopic baton, shouting “You faggot”, “You cunt”. The victim was taken to the hospital with a concussion and fractures to his nasal bones and sinus walls. He said that none of the witnesses to the event reacted. He added he probably attracted the perpetrators’ attention with his dyed hair and an earring. Police officers knew the attackers were two repeat offenders. However, they were not arrested.
Current status of the case: On October 8 and 29, 2020, respectively, both offenders were arrested. They have been charged. One remained behind bars because he had another sentence to serve, the other was released. The date of the hearing and its potential outcome remains unknown.
14 August 2020, Wałcz. Teen boy beaten for his hair color
A 17-year-old boy was spending time with his 10-year-old sister and a 15-year-old female friend. A 28-year-old man accosted the youngest girl in a vulgar way before turning his attention to the boy. He struck the victim on the head with a metal weapon-like instrument. The boy suffered a head injury. The 10-year-old asked passersby for help, but no one responded. The children’s parents called the police and an ambulance to the scene. The assailant was arrested and found to be under the influence of marijuana. He admitted that he attacked the teen because he didn’t like his hair colour. The man was charged with bodily injury and destruction of property. He was also put under police supervision. Two weeks earlier the same man had attacked another teenager, slapping him in the face and damaging his prescription glasses.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
15 August 2020, Uniejów. Gay man attacked in a hotel
A gay man was severely beaten when he tried to stop a man mishandling his wife. He was told, “No faggot here is going to tell me how I should train my wife,” then punched him in the face and brutally beat him. The police arrived at the scene and the victim gave a statement. The man suffered from bruised ribs, numerous abrasions and seven stitches to his face. Two days later, the assailant called the victim to apologise.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
16 August 2020, Warszawa. Gay couple assaulted for holding hands
An LGBT activist and his boyfriend got beaten outside their own home. The reason for the assault, the activist says, was that they were holding hands. First the couple heard “f*cking faggots”, and then someone punched the man in the face. When he tried to stop the attacker, a second man attacked. A third attacker knocked his boyfriend over and started to kick him. The activist came to help. Then he was thrown on the ground and beaten. When witnesses of the incident reacted, the perpetrators fled and police officers arrived at the scene. The activist ended up with a broken tooth and a black eye, his partner got bruises on his body.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
20 August 2020, Poznań. Homophobic attack during a film festival
An unknown perpetrator attacked one of the foreign guests of a short film festival taking place in Poznań. As the victim walked slowly down a street, a young man walking behind him with a group of friends suddenly closed the distance. Without any warning, he kicked the festival guest in the back, raising his foot high up. After the physical assault, he hurled further abuse towards the man and loudly commented – in Polish – on his appearance. The organizers have no doubt that the incident was motivated by homophobia. The situation was reported to the police.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
21 August 2020, Bydgoszcz. Assault on gay club patrons
Three aggressive men hurled insults at patrons of a gay club in Bydgoszcz. Then, the attackers moved on to physical violence and tried to force their way inside. People present at the club that night locked themselves in the premises and were defended by security and the barmaid, who was kicked in the stomach by one of the assailants. By the time the police arrived, the aggressors had already escaped. When the patrons were walking home together after the club closed, they fell victim to homophobic aggression again. A police patrol they encountered did not respond, but only suggested that they would do better not walk together in a group.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
23 August 2020, Wrocław. Information point vandalised
An information point was set in a park in Wrocław, next to a church, to encourage residents to replace old stoves with new, environmentally friendly models. It was a part of a Wrocław municipal office program,e “Replace [your] stove!” (Polish: Zmień piec). At one point, a cyclist approached the point and said, “You’re even putting this up in front of a church now? P*ss off!” and proceeded to kick the mobile stand. As a result, the stand was damaged and a laptop computer fell to the ground and was scratched. After the attack, the man fled on his bicycle and the point staff notified the police. The organisers believe that the man must have misread the program name, believing it was “Change [your] sex!” (Polish: Zmień płeć, just a letter and a diacritic accent away from the actual name) rather than “Replace [your] stove!”: “Many people misread the programme name. Prior to the incident with the cyclist, another man approached us and asked in a nasty way why we wanted to encourage people to change their sex.” Police searched for the perpetrator with little success.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
29 August 2020, Sosnowiec. Attack motivated by homophobia resulting in brutal beating
On a night bus, a 20-year-old passenger was beaten unconscious after he stood up for another passenger who was being insulted by the aggressor’s homophobic slurs. The perpetrator struck the victim twice; then the man hit his head on a handrail and lost consciousness. That didn’t stop the perpetrator, who continued to beat the 20-year-old over the head as he lay on the floor. The bus driver did not respond to the cries for help, the other passengers did not rush to help the young man either. Two men dragged the aggressor away after some time. The perpetrator continued on the bus, and the police and ambulance service were called from the bus stop. The officers developed a facial composite of the perpetrator. The man came forward a few days later and provided his account of the events.
Current status of the case: The attacker was sentenced to 1.5 years of restriction of liberty, 40 hours of community service. He is also required to pay PLN 5,000 in compensation to the 20-year-old victim. The latter is not happy with the verdict, though, and has submitted an appeal.
August 2020, Białystok. Billboards targeting the LGBTQ+ community
The organisation “Milcząca Większość” (Silent Majority) launched a campaign in response to one by “Tęczowy Białystok” (Rainbow Bialystok) [In July, on the anniversary of the first ever Białystok Pride, which was brutally attacked, billboards were put up in the city’s public space to support the LGBT community while educating the public. Their content did not attack anyone. The slogans said: “Bialystok for all”, “We are at home”, “This is our home”. “Love against hate,” “Our bodies, our rights” or “After the storm always comes the rainbow”, with colours of the LGBT+ community flags in the background – edit.]. Under the campaign, they deployed billboards in various parts of the city, picturing homophobic slogans such as “Deviations shall not pass,” “Bialystok against depravity,” and “The body is not for debauchery.” The banner backgrounds were black with white lettering, while words like deviation, depravity, debauchery, and evil were spelled in rainbow coloured letters. The mayor of Bialystok sent a “notification of suspected offense of hate speech” to the prosecutor’s office. Two months later, Silent Majority put up the same banners in Rzeszów, claiming that local residents had requested they be installed.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
12 September 2020, Kraków. Severe beating motivated by homophobia
A Ukrainian man was beaten severely by two assailants, the reason for the attack was said to be his long hair, a Star of David around his neck and the Russian language he was using. The attackers believed the victim to be homosexual, which only further infuriated them. The police, however, refused to take the report on the grounds that the victim was intoxicated – the man was instructed to return to another Krakow police station after he sobered up to have his case processed. The Ukrainian said that he would file a notice of battery and a complaint against the behavior of the police.
Current status of the case: After a health examination, the victim was interviewed and police officers took the report. After a month, the man received a letter stating that the case was dropped due to the inability to identify the perpetrators. A pro bono lawyer decided to help the victim and filed a complaint against the court’s decision. A retrial was scheduled to take place on April 25, but was postponed to May 4 by the judge’s illness and has not happened yet. Status of the case regarding the on-duty officer who refused to take the report is unknown; unofficial sources are saying, however, that the officer is not going to face any consequences [Information obtained from the crime victim on 19 May 2020 – edit.].
19 September 2020, Łódź. Two women assaulted on homophobic grounds
The women were attacked downtown as they walked toward their car, holding hands. A man first insulted them verbally (“F*cking dykes!!!”) and then threw himself at one of them. When the other one pushed the assailant away to defend her partner, the man started tugging at her. He also tried to snatch her phone. As some passersby intervened, the man spat on the women and fled. The police did not manage to catch the perpetrator, but his details were determined by Internet users. Still, the prosecution discontinued the case.
Current status of case: A complaint was filed against the prosecution’s decision. On 8 March 2021 the assailant was sentenced to pay an PLN 800 fine.
28 September 2020, Kozienice. Homophobic smear campaign against a 12-year-old; the girl took her own life
A girl committed suicide in the aftermath of bullying motivated by her sexual orientation. Journalists investigating the case determined that the 12-year-old had been bullied and harassed for several months. This was confirmed by teachers at the school she attended who talked to her peers. The teen’s post about her relationship with another girl can still be found on social media. Some of the comments are vulgar, “Two wh*res”, “looking at you two makes me want to puke”, “two wh*res and f*cking lesbian bitches”, “dyke”, “yuck”, others goad the girl to commit suicide. The prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation and the case was widely publicised in Poland. Two days later, a message was spray painted on the Ministry of National Education building, saying, “Dominik, Zuzia, Kacper, Michał. Your LGBT+ child”. These are the names of individuals, mostly teenagers, who have committed suicide because of bullying. Minister Dariusz Piątkowski called a press conference on the matter and stated that the act of vandalism was committed by “barbarians, idiots”, and that no harassment of the teenager had actually taken place. “He cares more about red paint on a wall than about the blood of children,” the “Miłość Nie Wyklucza” (Love Does Not Exclude) association observed.
Current status of case: No information on the investigation launched after the teen’s suicide. The author of the message on the Ministry of Education building, however, has been charged with damaging a monument, which carries a penalty of 6 months to 8 years in prison. Additionally, the act she was charged with was considered by the prosecution to be hooliganism, which, if she is found guilty, obliges the court to increase the minimum sentence. The woman was apprehended in her own apartment at 6:00 a.m., which the District Court for Warsaw-Środmiescie found to be unjustified overzealousness on the part of the police.
September 2020, Warszawa. Attack on a journalist walking with her niece
A man interpreted a woman and her 13-year-old niece as a lesbian couple as they were walking hand-in-hand. He started yelling “F*cking lesbian bitches!” and then punched the journalist in the face, breaking her nose and giving her black eyes. A witness to the incident came to the woman’s defence, but he too was attacked. In the meantime, the journalist and the child managed to escape. The situation was not reported to the police.
Current status of the case: The court sentenced the attacker to 540 hours of community service. He also got a ban on contacting and approaching within 50 meters of the victims for two years after the sentence becomes final. Furthermore, the attacker must pay restitution to the victims.
III Hate crimes against women; misogyny
In July 2020, Zbigniew Ziobro, the Polish Minister of Justice, announced that Poland will launch an official procedure of withdrawal from the Convention of preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. The convention, which is commonly known as Istanbul Convention, was ratified by President Bronisław Komorowski on 13 April 2015. When asked about his decision, Minister Ziobro explained that the treaty was harmful, because it called for ideologization of school education, and challenged the idea of biological gender. This statement spurred protests in a number of Polish cities, e.g. in Warsaw where ca. 2000 protesters took to the streets.
On 22 October 2020, the Constitution Tribunal presided by Julia Przyłębska, an unlawfully constituted institution loyal towards the ruling party, proclaimed that abortion in the case of a serious and irreversible foetal damage or incurable terminal disease violated the provisions of the Polish Constitution. After the judgment had been announced, massive anti-government protests started both in Poland and abroad. On 28 October, the police reported 410 protests nationwide with more than 430 thousand protesters. On 30 October, the so-called Grand March on Warsaw attracted ca. 100 thousand participants. The scale of such protests in Poland has been the largest since the political transformation in 1989.
The protesters were heavily criticised by right-wing politicians and mass media controlled by the Law and Justice, who tried to offend, ridicule and dehumanise women. On 27 October, Ryszard Terlecki, the Law and Justice vice-Speaker of the Sejm, stated that the face masks bearing the All-Poland Women’s Strike’s symbol (i.e. the lighting) reminded him of the fascist runes used by the Hitler Youth. TVP Channel dominated by the Law and Justice’s supporters referred to female protesters as “bringers of death”, “killers of unborn children”, claiming that “The left-wing fascism destroys Poland”. On 30, Jadwiga Emilewicz, a Law and Justice parliamentary deputy and the former Deputy Minister, in her reply to the All-Poland Women’s Strike’s demands stated that: “The freedom of a woman ends if she gets pregnant, because from now on, her freedom will be limited by that of her child”. The politicians also referred to protesting women as “feminazis”, “kitchen appliances”, “animals”. Such rhetoric resulted in a proliferation of hate speech on the Internet, including verbal threats, and physical assaults at women, also on the part of the police.
The organisations supporting women’s rights, including the right to abortion, have found themselves under particular threat. On 31 March 2021, Human Rights Watch (HRW), CIVICUS and International Planned Parenthood Federation-European Network (IPPF-EN) revealed that at least seven organisations advocating for women’s rights and the right to abortion in Poland faced illegal threats including homicide or bomb threats, which proved that the risk faced by human rights activists who support the women’s cause increased. The activists admit that this sense of insecurity is even aggravated by the government’s hostile language and mass media smear campaigns targeted at their organisations, as well as by false rumours and hate speech, which may pose hazards to their personal safety.
On 28 January 2021, the Chair of the Committee of Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament, Evelyn Regner (S&D), said: “Misogyny thrives well in Poland. The practical ban on abortion pushed through by the Polish government is a direct interference with the autonomy and physical integrity of women. It is an assault on fundamental human rights, something totally unbelievable in a liberal democratic system in 2021. In Europe there is no place for such disregard of humanity. I do stand for the Polish protesters who oppose to such backwardness”.
15 April 2020, Katowice. Group of young politicians telling rape jokes
A 16-year-old member of a municipal youth council and his 22-year-old colleague representing the Confederation party, exchanged rape jokes in public. They claimed, for instance, that: “a rape can eventually be pleasant,” and women “first tell you that they do not want to have sex, so you need to force them, but after all they are nicely surprised,” and “rape her in such a way as to prevent her from reporting it.” The tone of such utterances perfectly matches that of Janusz Korwin-Mikke, the party’s Leader, who is notorious for expressing his misogynistic views such as “a woman is always raped a bit, anyway”. The young politicians claimed afterwards that they had fallen victim to a scam, and the council member resigned from his function. The case was allegedly reported to the police, and the Chairman of the Municipal Council of Katowice claimed that he would subscribe to all steps aimed at punishing the perpetrators.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
15 August 2020, Uniejów. Woman violently assaulted in a public place
The incident took place at a hotel in Uniejów. A group of guests met at a warm-up party. Suddenly one of men stood up, pushed his wife, grabbed her hair and started to drag her towards the building. The women cried: “What are you doing?! Someone please help!” However, nobody reacted apart from one gay man, who tried to separate the fighting couple. The abuser shouted: “I need no advice from a sodomite on how I should teach my wife obedience.” He was badly beaten and ended up in hospital. The assailant was eventually captured by the hotel staff and locked in a room
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
September 2020, Bydgoszcz. Public incitement to rape women
A man representing the incel subculture spoke publicly in favour of violence against women. During a live webcast, he called women “dishwashers” and “conniving rags” who, among other things, “cause most wars,” “should be raped,” be “in the kitchen” and “on a leash,” and if they don’t like it, “to be f*cked.” According to him, whoever defends the “dishwashers” has “turned cocksucker” already. The man also referred to the German chancellor Angela Merkel as a “Polish-Jewish wh*re”.
Current status of case: The man already has a total of three criminal proceedings pending for public praise of and incitement to commit a crime.
24 October 2020, Warszawa. Right-wing journalist publicly insults women
Right-wing editor Rafał Ziemkiewicz, known for his hate speech [U.S. expert organisation Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) released a report on hate speech spread on Twitter and YouTube, in which it described Ziemkiewicz as a “Holocaust denier” and a “homophobe” – edit.] published an insulting comment regarding the participants in the Women’s Strike on a social networking site, saying “What is particularly characteristic of the Left is their bringing about the complete downfall of young women. The dominating type among the protesters is an aggressive, vulgar little b*tch.” An NGO filed a private lawsuit against the journalist in a Warsaw court.
Current status of case: Pending
25 October 2020, Warszaw. Physical violence against a female protester
Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet (All-Poland Women’s Strike) organised a protest called “Słowo na niedzielę” (“Word for Sunday”, also a title of a past Catholic TV programme) to be held in churches across the country. This was a reaction to the approval with which some of the Church’s hierarchy took the outlawing of abortion due to foetal defects by the Constitutional Court controlled by Law and Justice. Angelika Domańska, a member of the Green Party, was injured during the protest in Warsaw. Photo coverage of the day clearly shows Robert Bąkiewicz, president of Stowarzyszenie Marsz Niepodległości (Independence March Association) squeezing her arm. Moments later, the woman was thrown down from the church steps, onto the sidewalk. “I was clinging to the handrail as hard as I could, but in the end they hauled me down those stairs. And then they threw me down from a height of a few steps, through a police cordon. I actually fell right next to the officers’ feet and banged my head on the sidewalk.” She lay there for over half an hour before the ambulance arrived. The woman reported the incident to the police.
Current status of case: In early 2021, the prosecutor’s office decided to drop the investigation, explaining that it saw no public interest in continuing the search for the perpetrators.
27 October 2020, Wrocław. Assault upon participants in the All-Poland Women’s Strike
An unidentified man wearing a face mask suddenly raided the car of a participant in the All-Poland Women’s Strike while she was sitting inside the car with a friend. The assailant first kicked the vehicle, causing material damage, and then opened the door and tried to drag the girl out of it. He yelled at the victim and called her rude names, such as “slut”. Finally, the girl managed to lock the door, and the abuser was dragged aside by a worker in a nearby store. The victim published the perpetrator’s image on the Internet, hoping that this would help in tracing him and punishing him for his acts. She also reported the incident to the police. According to the victim, even though the assault was based on political motives, its root cause was misogyny: “The only reason why that guy did not punch me was because he was fearful of the legal consequences. But he kept on humiliating me, showing his strength and superiority. I guess that he loved the idea of distressing a woman. So, generally, I do not think that the majority of men who acted like barbarians during women’s strikes and tried to assault girls did that just for the sake of politics.” [Feedback obtained directly from the victim on 25.05.2021. – edit.]
Current status of case: At the end of March, the police discontinued the proceedings because it was impossible to ascertain the identity of the perpetrator. The victim did not appeal against the decision, fearing a biased reaction towards All-Poland Women’s Strike by Polish state authorities.
27 October 2020, Warsaw. Girl returning home after a street protest attacked by police officers
Several hundred young peaceful protesters were suddenly attacked by police officers at Plac Trzech Krzyży. A group of policemen holding truncheons rushed the crowd, ready to use their weapons. “There was that pink-haired girl who shouted out something towards the police somewhere between Plac Trzech Krzyży and De Gaulle Roundabout. The policemen turned back, one of the officers pushed her over, and they did something suspicious to her while she was down on the pavement, crying. I tried to record the scene, but they pushed me aside and obstructed the view,” said a witness who published a video on the Internet.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
27 October 2020, Gdańsk. Priest utters unlawful threats when addressing participants of the All-Poland Women’s Strike
Two women travelling by car decorated with gadgets symbolising the All-Poland Women’s Strike were confronted by a priest driving nearby, who suddenly took out a gun and pointed it at the women. First of all, he rudely ordered the women to remove the umbrella with the protesters’ logo and a wire clothes hanger, symbolising the protest. Then he took out his gun and pointed it towards the women. The victims immediately called the police, and the driver first cut them up abruptly when the traffic lights changed, and then drove away. The priest was eventually found standing in front of the Oliwa Cathedral, together with a group of people who had gathered there to defend the church from the protesters. He showed his gun to the police officers saying that it was just a fake. The item was seized and taken to the police laboratory. The priest admitted that he took part in the confrontation, but added that he only “showed” his gun to the women, and did not pose any threats. He tried to explain his conduct by stating that he was greatly upset and just wanted to see the reaction of the intimidated women.
Current status of case: In February this year, the public prosecutor accused the 35-year-old priest of using unlawful threats in respect of the two women. Moreover, when the case received much publicity, the priest was dismissed from his job as a primary school catechist by his superiors.
27 October 2020, Gdynia. Knife attack after the All-Poland Women’s Strike
A group of young people fell victim to an assault on their way home from a street protest against the judgment by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal severely restricting access to abortion in Poland. The protesters were approached by a man who started to insult women verbally. “He called them ‘sluts’, adding that all of us should be exterminated. He yelled that he would not tolerate those protesting c***s any longer. So we told him to f*** off. Then he shouted at my girlfriend: “Don’t you even try to give me orders, you c***.” These words spurred an urgent reaction on the part of the young men accompanying the girls. The assailant struck back at one of them using a jack knife and cutting his temporal artery. After being captured by the police, he claimed he suffered from a cardiac disease. When released, he immediately became aggressive again, so he was quickly incapacitated by police officers and arrested.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Wrocław. Two journalists attacked during Women’s Strike
The women were attacked while covering a protest against restricting women’s access to abortion. An aggressive man forcefully shoved one of the journalists away and kicked the other in the stomach. The attack occurred when the journalists were recording a group of men dressed in black trying to mingle with the crowd. The next day, the attacker was apprehended by police. He is a hooligan linked with the “Silesia” hooligan group and the Wielki Śląsk (Great Silesia) association. The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Wrocław filed a motion for the arrest of the hooligan for violating the personal integrity of one of the journalists. A few hours later, however, the motion was withdrawn from the court on the order of the National Prosecutor’s Office [1], [2]. Last November, the Wrocław prosecutor’s office announced a modification of the charge to exposure to loss of life or grievous bodily harm.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Czernikowo. Gun pointed at participants of the All-Poland Women’s Strike
Approximately 300 people took part in a street protest against the non-abortion judgment issued by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. A local parish priest confronted the protesters with a gun in his hand. He yelled out unlawful threats such as “I’ll shoot them all.” Even when captured by the police, the 53-year-old priest still kept on pointing his gun towards officers [1], [2]. During the police search, five hunting rifles and one airgun were found at the priest’s house. However, the offence was not reported by the protesters, and the priest was released from custody after providing his testimony.
Current status of case: The parish priest was suspended from duties by his superiors, and was supposed to be transferred to another parish. However, such plans were strongly disapproved of by the local community. On 14th November last year, the priest was dismissed from his function as the deanery of Czernikowo.
30 October 2020, Warszaw. Woman attacked with metal baton during Women’s Strike
Dozens of men dressed in black attacked random people who came to see the Women’s Strike march in the Old Town. Among the victims of the assault is a mother of two living nearby, who was beaten with a metal baton in front of her child. This was despite a directive sent out via text message to members of the group: “We do not hit women, as a last resort gas them straight in the face, we take their phones and throw them away and have them fetch”. The directive concerned a provocation organised by a group of masked individuals throwing flares and aiming for a confrontation. A total of 37 people were detained by the police during the protest, mainly belonging to football hooligan groups.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
24 November 2020, Wrocław. Photojournalist publicly insulted and criminally threatened
Actor and national activist going under the pseudonym Aleksander Jabłonowski speaking on an Internet TV channel Na Prawo TV publicly insulted a photojournalist covering the women’s strike and detained by police officers for activating her camera flash while pointing it at one of them. “The whole journalistic world is now defending her ‘cause she’s a pretty bitch, wearing a beret […] You f*cking bitch! [whistles] Come! Wait until we come to power. Just wait. For such a flash-in-the-eye stunt, you’d first get clubbed over the head, then lashed up again, and then we’d perhaps start wondering who you even were. […] She’d better kiss the sidewalk and wipe the sidewalk with her bare ass, grateful that this policeman contained himself and didn’t punch her straight in that beautiful muzzle. […] So don’t f*ck about, bitch,” he said, addressing the journalist.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
27 November 2020, Wrocław. Public promotion of rape culture by nationalists
Actor and national activist appearing under the pseudonym Aleksander Jabłonowski publicly encouraged the rape of opposition MP Klaudia Jachira on an Internet TV channel Na Prawo TV. While talking with the presenter, the man pondered that, “if Lampert [This was a reference to Marta Lempart – a social and political activist, initiator, and one of the leaders of Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet (All-Poland Women’s Strike) – edit.] lived in 1945, say, in so-called East Prussia […] and the Soviet Army had come in and the Soviet Army was famous for raping German women and impregnating them. Then in this village of Lamperthof […] all would have been raped except for one,” and he started laughing. The presenter suggested that he meant “Jachirastadt,” which Olszanski denied, saying “No! What are you saying! They would have raped her. She’s got this thing… she’s a perfect specimen to be raped […] If I were to cast a rape victim [for a film], Jachira’d get the lead role. She carries herself in such a way that even a good-hearted guy, a polite, kind, subdued man, looking at Jachira, says: “I’m gonna rape her, why not.”
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
14 December 2020, Warszaw. Right-wing MP publicly threatens women
MP Tadeusz Cymański, a member of the Solidarna Polska party belonging to the PiS (Law and Justice) club, commented on the striking women on his social media, saying “This is awful! Our women have become fighters. You are mothers-to-be! What is that? A protest? You are pests! Rodents! You have to burn yourself with a hot iron! You will not break PiS! We are strong, we are more and we will strangle you all. All Law and Justice members stand in solidarity with me!” The comment was deleted several minutes later. Before that, the author was changed. The MP claims the incident to have been caused by a hacker attack.
Current status of case: Dismissed.
IV Offences motivated by neo-Nazi and neo-fascist attitudes
In April 2018, the police and the Internal Security Agency interrupted a concert in Dzierżoniów, which was aimed at commemorating Adolf Hitler’s 129th birthday. The International Security Agency launched a broad-scale investigation, and in November 2020 an indictment was filed against twelve Polish neo-Nazis, members of Club 28. The Club now includes dozens of extreme Polish right-wingers and is part of an international network known as: Blood and Honour/Combat 18 (B&H/C18). It operates in several regions of Poland including e.g. Wrocław, Lublin or Opole, being most active in the Pomeranian Region.
During October protests of the All-Poland Women’s Strike, the protesting women were attacked by organised groups of men, typically composed of extreme right-wingers, and football fans. Neo-Nazis assaulted women using batons, knives and stunt guns. In Wrocław, a young lad taking part in a rally had his face cut by a knife, and one of journalists was also violently attacked.
Moreover, in October, the Polish mass media disclosed that in the past 2 years the Ministry of National Defence had assigned PLN 320 thousand to support an association, whose leader, Karol Wołek, was linked to extreme fascist and national-socialist organisations (e.g. Front Rex and Szturm). Apart from the alleged co-funding of fascist organisations by the Ministry, the transparency of use of the public funds also spurred some doubt.
In February 2021, the Polish media revealed that the newly appointed Chair of the Institute of National Remembrance in Wrocław, dr Tomasz Greniuch, the current head of the Opole Branch, used to be a long-term member of ONR, an extreme right-wing organisation, and took active part in anti-Semitic, anti-EU and chauvinist events. The mass media started publishing photos taken in 2005 and 2007 which depicted Mr Greniuch showing Nazi gestures, and revealed that he was fond of neo-Nazi music. Finally, Mr Greniuch was dismissed from the Institute due to the “loss of credibility”.
13 July 2020, Legnica. Assault upon individuals trying to erase racist and homophobic graffiti
A Celtic cross and the following slogans: “White lives matter”, “Homophobia is not a crime” and “A boy + a girl = a normal family” were painted on the walls of former military premises by unknown authors. On 13th July last year, a group of individuals led by a local activist decided to erase the slogans. The activists at work were observed by a group of beer-drinking and shouting football fans standing on the other side of the street, who suddenly started to toss eggs at them. The girl who organised the event said, “Such incidents directly result from the abominable hate campaign launched by the current government and President of Poland against people of other racial origin, or those representing other sexual preferences.” Two days afterwards, the erased captions reappeared on the wall, accompanied by new paintings depicting the gallows intended for political opponents.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
21 August 2020, Katowice. Promotion of fascist attitudes during anti-LGBT protests
On this day, three street protests took place in the town. One was attended by supporters of freedom fighters in Belarus, the second was a march by gay right supporters. At the same time, nationalists organised an anti-LGBT protest. Participants of the latter protest showed Nazi gestures. Only one was captured by the police. A 26-year-old man eventually pleaded guilty to the charges and voluntarily accepted the penalty.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Poland. Encouraging attacks at protesting women and their leader
After the Constitutional Tribunal chaired by Julia Przyłębska announced that performing an abortion in the case of irreversible impairment of the foetus would violate the Polish Constitution, the Polish neo-fascists linked to an online faction known as VandaliNation, created by means of a Russian app named Telegram started to encourage attacks on protesting women: “Attack is the best form of defence. Better than just fighting back. May the Lord me with us, let them be f*cked. Let’s pray to Holy Mary, let’s shout hallelujah and tell those c***s to f**k off!” Then they started to post pictures and videos documenting their attacks on the protesters and trampling upon Women’s Strike’s banners. The nationalists also published the home address and phone number of Marta Lempart, one of the leaders of the All-Poland Women’s Strike. “Feel free to visit this cow at home, or call her and tell her what you think of her,” they stated. They also published a drawing showing a woman being hit in the head with a telescopic baton accompanied by the comments: “Let’s smash that empty pumpkin” and “Bang, bang! An empty noise can be heard.” On their social media channel, the neo-fascists also explained why they approved of beating protesting women: whenever a woman starts talking of feminism she “turns into an aggressive wh**e ready to attack youphysically, and deserving to be treated with a baton, pepper spray, or smacked in her face, like any other left-winger.”
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Białystok. Women assaulted by All-Polish Youth militants
The attacks took place shortly before the end of the so-called black stroll, attended by women protesting against the judgment issued by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. A group of unidentified perpetrators threw several firecrackers and flares towards the protesters. Videos were posted on the Internet. The All-Polish Youth admitted that they conducted the assaults. On their FB fan page they posted a note “Wanted to start a war? So here you are.” The assailants first gathered next to the cathedral, as the Archdiocese of Białystok clearly compared the All-Poland Women’s Strike to “Satan, who fell down the sky, just like lightning.” A similar attack occurred in another part of the town, where flares were thrown at a group of people. The All-Polish Youths were visibly overjoyed by such acts of violence and fuelling the conflict. They even offered legal assistance to the assailants. The case was dealt with by the police.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Wrocław. Protesters beaten by nationalists. Knife attack
Participants in the All-Poland Women’s Strike were attacked by a mob of approximately 40 young people. “A group of men wearing balaclavas appeared at ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego, near ul. Krupnicza and started to beat people at random – one woman was so badly beaten that she could no longer stand on her feet; and some men were kicked right in their heads,” recounts a woman who witnessed the acts of violence. Two victims were taken by ambulance to hospital. Meanwhile, in another part of town, a group of about 80 nationalists used pepper spray against the protesters. The attackers fled when the police appeared at the venue. Some protesters reported that one of the men was wounded in the face with a knife. Although a number of people ended up in hospital, and although many videos documenting the attacks were posted on the Internet, none of the victims reported the attacks to the Police.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
11 November 2020, Warsaw. Flat set on fire during Independence March
Many incidents, including clashes with the police, assaults on other protesters, and even a raid on a bookstore, were reported during the Independence March organised by extreme right-wing factionists. A group of nationalists from Białystok threw flares towards a balcony where a pride flag and symbols of the All-Poland Women’s Strike were displayed. However, they ultimately missed their target and set fire to an adjacent flat. In a video that was posted on the Internet, one can hear the nationalists shout: “Let it burn… let’s burn down that c***!”. The flat that was set alight hosted the studio of a painter and expert on Witkacy’s fine arts.
Current status of case: One of the perpetrators was captured three days after the March. The police discovered fireworks and pepper spray in his flat. At the end of April this year, he was charged by a public prosecutor with an offence consisting in causing a direct hazard to human life and health by igniting a fire, and damaging property. However, the accused has refused to plead guilty.
V Offences motivated by religious beliefs
According to the figures published by the public prosecutors’ office, by 8 December 2020, twenty-nine indictments had been filed at courts on the grounds of abuse of religious beliefs. Ten such proceedings were pending in 2016. Court judgments issued in such cases included immediate custodial sentences – such judgments have been passed in four cases over the past 5 years.
One of the last year’s high-profile cases concerned placing of pride flags on several monuments in Warsaw. Such flag was fixed to the monument of Jesus Christ in front of the Holly Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmieście. According to the event’s organisers, it was an action aimed at counteracting homophobia. The Polish Deputy Minister of Justice, Sebastian Kaleta filed a notification of suspected offence, e.g. under Article 196 of the Criminal Code, explaining that: “a scandalous thing has happened, and our state must strongly react to it”. On 2 February 2021, an indictment was filed an Obywatele RP’s activist with the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście.
Following the Constitutional Tribunal’s judgment on abortion of 22 October 2020, mass protests started all over Poland including rallies, road blockades and meetings in front of churches. Women participating in the protest known as “A Word for Sunday” appeared at holy masses holding banners in their hands. The wave of protests also brought about a number of acts of vandalism such as painting graffiti slogans on church walls. Apart from claims related to the Constitutional Tribunal’s judgment i.e. “let’s make this country a secular state”, “give us the right of abortion” lub “give us a genuine Constitutional Tribunal”, the protesters also demanded “terminating the concordat”, considering the fact that – according to experts – the Church has become a party to a bitter political dispute, instead of staying aside, as an unbiased arbitrator.
On 27 October 2020, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, in reference to the wave of protests stated for e.g. that the “issued judgement is fully compliant with the Polish Constitution”, “the government is fully authorised to curb down on those protests” and called “all members and supporters of the Law and Justice to defend our churches” “at all costs”.
One of the long-term consequences of withdrawal from the hitherto abortion law compromise by the Catholic Church is the growing number of apostates. According to historical data, 10 years ago 459 apostasy requests were filed nationwide. Meanwhile, in 2020, 370 such requests were filed in Poznan Archdiocese alone, and 445 in Cracow Curia. The ticking clock of apostasy shows that over 2 thousand people left the Church since the onset of protests until 9 August 2021.
The fact that the Muslim community in Poland composed of ca. 30-40 thousand people who, according to Professor Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska, has adapted well to the Polish society, is in opposition to the fear and hostility towards the followers of Islam. The expert nicknamed this phenomenon as ‘platonic islamophobia’. Meanwhile, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) considered the presence of hate speech targeted at Muslims in the public and social domains in Poland as a very disturbing phenomenon.
July 2020, Pleszewo. Woman married to a Muslim is offended in public
A 32-year-old Pleszew resident posted on social media a number of comments about a Polish girl who married a Muslim: “She is not a Pole anymore, but a Paki whore!” or “A Pole livingwith a Muslim is no longer a Pole!” Such content was reported to the local prosecutor’s office.
Current status of case: In November 2020 the man was fined PLN 2 000 plus applicable court fees.
27 August 2020, Kielce. Public approval of mass murders committed at mosques
Information on punishing of Brenton Tarrant, an extreme right-winger accused of killing 51 people at New Zealand mosques posted on popular social media inspired one user to publish the following comment: “A true hero!!! Let everyone follow his example when dealing with those Talibans…” On 14th December 2020, the Court in Kielce received a notice that the indictment concerning the public praising of mass homicide and incitement had been changed to hatred based on religious or racial differences.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
25 October 2020, Szczecinek. Priest insulted by teenagers
A group of young people taking part in the All-Poland Women’s Strike gathered around the parliamentary office of a Law and Justice MP. Suddenly a local priest appeared at the venue and welcomed the protesters with the phrase: “Law and Justice has come.” So the protesters replied: “It is Poland, not the Vatican!”, “We do not listen to clergymen!”, “Go back to your church!” or “Have you got a uterus? If not, then f**k off!”. The priest tried to express his opinions of the protest. After a noisy argument, the priest threw his Holy Communion box and asked one of the girls to pick it up. It turned out that the box was empty, although according to some pro-government media, it contained Holy Communion for the sick. The heated exchange between the priest and the protesters continued for about a quarter of an hour. “Go home, you are not right,” said the priest after the demonstration. The incident was witnessed by police officers who remained passive. Then the priest was spotted in the vicinity of ul. Bohaterów Warszawy showing rude gestures to drivers.
Current status of the case: No proceedings have been instituted by the police in respect of the protesters. Meanwhile, the priest’s superiors have totally distanced themselves from his conduct: “This priest is temporarily on leave, and is not performing any specific functions in the diocese. He is solely accountable for his actions, and what he has done was totally beyond the diocese’s control.”
25 October 2020, Warsaw. Damage to at least four churches
The founders of the All-Poland Women’s Strike decided to extend the range of protests to the Catholic Church, which is generally associated with the ruling elite and with the introduction of restrictive anti-abortion legislation. Even though they only asked protesters to interrupt church services and put up posters, some resorted to acts of vandalism. Pictures showing graffiti painted on church premises and buildings appeared in social media. The damaged churches included Saint Jacob’s Church in Stara Ochota, St Matthew’s Church in Białołęka, Saint Andrzej Bobola’s Church in Stary Mokotow and Divine Providence Church in Rakowiec.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
28 October 2020, Poland. Holy masses interrupted, church façades damaged
The All-Poland Women’s Strike spread across the country. The biggest street protests were conducted in Warsaw, Łódź, Katowice, Cracow, Poznan, Wrocław and the Tri-City. However, rallies also took place in smaller towns such as Zduńska Wola, Otwock, Lębork and Sztum. As a result of the demonstration, the police reported 22 interrupted church services and 79 instances of damage to church façades. Around 80 people were arrested, and in more than 100 cases, relevant proceedings were instituted by the police and public prosecutors.
Current status of case: Pending
16 December, 2020, Białystok. Offensive inscription next to a newly established mosque
An offensive inscription (“Fuck Islam”) appeared on a container for used clothes, in close proximity to a mosque that also serves as a Muslim Community Centre. The Centre had been converted into a mosque shortly before the act of vandalism. The case was reported to police by a resident of Bialystok.
Current status of the case: UNKNOWN
VI Offences motivated by antisemitism
In July 2020, the Polish Ombudsman, Adam Bodnar, asked the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, Witold Kołodziejski about the factual and planned steps, standpoints and recommendations aimed at preventing hate speech and anti-Semitism on the mass media. The Polish Ombudsman alerted the Council to anti-Semitic statements expressed by Rafał Ziemkiewicz, a co-anchor of TVP Info programme titled: W tyle wizji, which was broadcasted on 23 June 2020. Ziemkiewicz blamed the Jews for Holocaust during the Second World War. The program’s hosts also offended Professor Jan Grabowski by calling him a vermin. The journalist also described Professor Jan Tomasz Gross as a possessed and mentally sick person.
According to Zygmunt Stępiński, Director of POLIN Museum, the Polish-Jewish debate is “not heading in the right direction”: “Antisemitism in Poland is completely different than the problem confronted by Jews in the United States, France or many other countries. The Polish antisemitism is the one without Jews. Obviously – as a Jew – I admit that there is some Jewish community in Poland. But there are very few of us, and they do not need Jews to feed the demons of antisemitism which are thriving quite well in our public space”. He mentioned such examples as a public burning of a Jewish effigy, profanation of historical monuments or destruction of the property of activists promoting knowledge of the Jewish history.
In April 2021, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom published its report on antisemitism in Europe, which demonstrated that the Polish Jews did not feel secure. In fact, 85 % of them claimed that antisemitism is a “quite serious” or “very serious” issue in Poland. “The Jewish leaders are concerned about the presence of anti-Semitic slogans used by extreme right-wing politicians and media in the public space. The recent debates on Holocaust, history and property restitution have touched upon a number of sensitive political issues and given rise to many unprecedented anti-Semitic comments“.
31 March 2020, Kielce. Unlawful threats in respect of members of the Jewish community
A young man was posing unlawful threats in respect of members of the Jewish community via instant messenger: “Your ancestors used to be burnt in ovens and processed into soap bars”, “You’ll be burned one day too, you Jewish c***, just like your granny was”, “Hitler will f**k you all”, etc. The indictment was filed with the competent Court by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Kielce-Wschód.
Current status of case: The court issued its judgment in December last year. The man was fined PLN 2 400 and obliged to reimburse the corresponding court fees.
24 April 2020, Dąbrowa Białostocka. Antisemitic captions appearing at a Jewish cemetery
An unknown offender created graffiti presenting the communist hammer and sickle and the text: “F**k the Jews” on the internal wall surrounding a Jewish cemetery in Dąbrowa Białostocka. The graffiti was erased immediately at the local mayor’s request. Such antisemitic incidents, including gravestone profanation, have been occurring in the town for five years, i.e. since the launching of a project aimed at recalling the forgotten history of the Jewish community in Dąbrowa.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
7 May 2020, Cracow. Antisemitic comments published by Cracow lawyer
A woman posted a number of comments concerning Covid-19 pandemics and the incumbent Minister of Health, Łukasz Szumowski on her social media profile. She wrote, for example, “Szumowski is a slutty Jewish communist! The Jews have been ruling our country for decades!” When reprimanded for her antisemitic tone by other social media users, she retorted: “Antisemitic, bullshit! Just telling the truth! A Jew is not a Pole. They have their own homeland. So what are they looking for here? Go back to Israel. Poland is for the Poles.” This spurred a reaction by human rights organisations. The lawyer first promised to publish an apology, but then changed her mind and said she would turn for help to Jarosław Kaczyński, and threatened her opponents with legal and other consequences. The case is being handled by the public prosecutor.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
26 August 2019-22 April 2020, Słubice. Public incitement to hatred towards the Jewish community
A man published offensive comments on Jews and publicly incited hatred towards them. He referred to Jews as e.g. “mother f*ckers”, ”Jewish sluts”, “traitors” and “felons”, adding “How those insolent Jewish scum even dare to pose such demands, let them go to hell, those Jews will always stink of garlic, those traitors used to sell one another during the occupation, and now these insolent Jews express more and more demands towards their saviours, so why did we save them at all and risk our lives, otherwise they would have vanished long time ago, they are like a pain in the arse” [sic]. On 7th July 2020, the public prosecutor filed an indictment with the author of the antisemitic comments.
Current status of case: On 2nd December last year, the District Court in Słubice considered the man guilty of breach of Articles 256 & 257 of the Polish Criminal Code and adjudicated a fine of PLN 1 500.
November 2020, Mulhouse. Antisemitic captions painted by Polish citizen on walls (France)
A man painted a number of captions saying “Jew = sh*t” upon buildings in the heart of the town. One such caption appeared upon a stone block commemorating Jacob Kaplan, Chief Rabbi of France (1955–81) and Rabbi of Miluza (1922–29). Such acts of vandalism stirred up indignation within the local community. The 58-year-old Pole was detained by the police. The man, who was already notorious for acts of violence, was captured thanks to CCTV recordings.
Current status of case: At the beginning of 2021, the Pole was sentenced to one year of imprisonment with three months’ probation. The Jewish Consistory for Haut-Rhin was awarded damages of EUR 1 000 for non-material damage. The court also awarded damages in favour of the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra) and SOS Racisme of EUR 600 for each organisation. Finally, the municipality of Mulhouse was awarded EUR 5 382 by virtue of material damage.
VII Politically-motivated offences
As a result of identity conflicts, European societies have broken up into two conflicting camps i.e. “defenders and explorers”. According to a survey conducted by the University of Münster the extent of such polarisation is the greatest in Poland. As opposed to Germany, France or Sweden, the “defenders” in Poland do not find themselves marginalised and show a high level of trust in the government and the parliament, and tend to be distrustful towards the EU. The Polish “explorers” also differ from their foreign counterparts – they are dissatisfied with the condition of democracy, do not trust the government and the parliament, but, at the same time, they show much confidence in the EU. The report has demonstrated that the “defenders” typically vote for populist parties and prefer “strong political leadership”. The scientists point out to the threats related to the progressing polarisation among the two opposing groups, as a consequence of reciprocal attacks and insults. According to the research team, the politicians in power should not favour any of the conflicting groups, as this would lead to a sense of exclusion of the other one.
Meanwhile, according to Tomasz Rawski, a political scientist and philologist from the University of Warsaw, the Polish politics has been recently dominated by a new form of hate speech, which included manipulating a political opponent’s image in order to discourage potential voters. “The social experiments have proven that the verbal interactions among politicians have become more and more aggressive. They do not utter words, but rather ominous promises: threats, encouragements to homicide, violence and foul play, which may transform into physical acts (…) Therefore, we are not surprised that local activists organise events such as the one in 2017, when a group of nationalists displayed photos of the Civic Platform politicians hanged on the gallows”.
10 May 2020, Warsaw. Incitement to hatred towards people cherishing different political beliefs
A politician named Janusz Korwin-Mikke took part in the “Hot 16 Challenge” which consisted in composing an original song consisting of 16 lines in order to encourage others to donate for to charity. The video posted by this Confederation MP, which encouraged hanging, slaughtering or “at least castrating” political opponents, democrats and socialists. Korwin-Mikke called them “plain sluts” while shooting a gun and brandishing a knife. A notification of suspicion of committing a crime was filed with the public prosecutor by the Socialist Action Association, Centre for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behaviour and a number of Left MPs, and the case was handled by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee upon a joint request filed by Maciej Kopiec, a Left MP, Open Republic – Association Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia and a number of natural persons.
Current status of case: The MP was reprimanded for his behaviour by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. Although the public prosecutor refused at first to open an investigation, after a complaint was filed by the Centre for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behaviour, in March 2020 the court ordered an investigation be opening into acts committed by one of the leaders of the Confederation.
2 July 2020, Myślibórz. Fisticuffs and unlawful threats at election rally
During Andrzej Duda’s presidential election rally, an opposition MP was attacked by followers of the incumbent President of Poland, infuriated by the sight of banners depicting Rafał Trzaskowski, another presidential candidate. A women was abused verbally, pushed and even hit in the head. She posted a video of what happened shortly after she was beaten by one of the attackers. The video documented an attacker who admitted the assault: “What are you recording you f*cking idiot? […] I wish I had punched you much harder, you stupid c**t !” and a police officer passively watching the incident, only asking the woman to stay away from the abuser. The woman said that she intended to report the incident to the police, and considered bringing a lawsuit against Andrzej Duda considering “abuse which is hurled by the President at all his opponents during his election rallies. A clear message is send out to his audience and supporters.”
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
October 24–28, 2020, Poland. Attacks on the offices of Law and Justice MPs and senators
During the wave of Women’s Strike protests that swept across Poland, the offices of Law and Justice (PiS) MPs and senators, in front of which the protesters were protesting, suffered from acts of vandalism. For example, on October 24 in Gdynia, during the protests, Arka Gdynia supporters forced the door to the office of Law and Justice MP Marcin Horala and went inside, where police used gas against them. On the same day in Biała Podlaska, vulgar inscriptions appeared on the façade and windows of the offices of Jacek Sasin and Dariusz Stefaniuk and the office of Senator Grzegorz Bierecki. The area next door was littered with protests signs. In turn, on October 26, the house of Law and Justice MP Urszula Rusecka in Wieliczka was pelted with eggs.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
November 18, 2020, Warsaw. Violation of the physical inviolability of an MP by a police officer
During a women’s protest, in the vicinity of Charles de Gaulle Roundabout, in the presence of witnesses, a policeman violated the physical inviolability of the Civic Coalition MP Monika Wielichowska. When pushing the woman, he broke her MP card. The woman also alleged that she has been prevented from carrying out her public functions. The incident was reported to the Speaker of the Sejm Elżbieta Witek.
Current status of case: UNKNOWN
November 28, 2020, Warsaw. Gas attack on Civic Coalition MP
On the 102nd anniversary of women’s suffrage, during a march through the Łazienkowska Route, police made attempts to break up the march, locked the marchers in cauldrons in backyards and forcibly removed demonstrators from the street. Civic Coalition MP Barbara Nowacka intervened and was attacked with tear gas by one of the police officers. A picture has been circulating on the Internet showing the police officer spraying gas from a distance of less than one metre directly into the face of the MP, who was holding her parliamentary identity card in the outstretched hand. The police have announced that they will investigate the circumstances of the incident.
Current status of the case: The prosecution refused to open an investigation, stating that the officer’s actions did not constitute a crime.
See our previous reports:
