Gay Rights Issue Causes New Political Storm in Poland
17/05/2006
By
Marcin Sobczyk, Warsaw Independent
CURRENT AFFAIRS: Gay Rights Issue Causes New Political Storm in Poland
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 06:26 PM
WARSAW, Poland (Warsaw Independent)—The issue of gay rights returned to the front pages of the Polish media Tuesday, May 16, after a frontbench parliamentarian of a government coalition party suggested that homosexuals are pedophiles and have ties with drug dealers.
Wojciech Wierzejski of the far-right League of Polish Families (LPR) said in a letter addressed to Interior Minister Ludwik Dorn and Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro that the law enforcement authorities should check what he called "legal and illegal sources of financing" of organizations grouping homosexual activists. Wierzejski also suggested that a recent wave of protests against his party leader Roman Giertych, recently appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, were in fact inspired only by homosexuals and not mainstream NGOs and informal groups of students.
"Organizations that group activists of the homosexual movement in Poland use almost every day to launch attacks on the Polish government and its ministers. Deputy PM and Education Minister Roman Giertych is attacked in a particularly brutal way," Wierzejski said.
Thousands of students and leftist activists have been taking to the streets of various Polish cities, demanding Giertych's resignation and calling him an intolerant nationalist. An online appeal put together by an informal group several days ago was signed by nearly 60,000 people, including prominent academics and artists, such as Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda, and major historical figures such as Marek Edelman, the last living leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.
Wierzejski insisted that the protests against Giertych and his nationalist ideology were inspired by homosexuals.
"There aren't enough anarchists in Poland to organize such large rallies on the streets," Wierzejski told the daily Gazeta Wyborcza. "Homos organize those rallies using online chats and forums. They sign all kinds of appeals against Roman Giertych."
Wierzejski also reiterated his earlier statements that there was little difference between homosexuals and pedophiles.
"Every police office will confirm that homosexuals are a circle that is nearly 100% identical to the circle of pedophiles. It is a fact that does not require any research," Wierzejski said.
The far-right politician had earlier encouraged the use of force if gay activists organize their annual Equality March in Warsaw. "If deviants begin to demonstrate, they should be hit with batons," Wierzejski said at that time. The Equality March is planned for June 10. The marches were banned twice over the past two years by the conservative Warsaw mayor at the time, Lech Kaczyński, who in the meantime became Poland's president.
Wierzejski's comments, which he continued to make Tuesday in various interviews, fell on deaf ears of the government, led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party of the president's identical twin brother Jarosław Kaczyński. Most opposition politicians and commentators expressed negative opinions of Wierzejski, ranging from ridicule to outrage.
"[His comments] are outside the allowed freedom of expression and political actions because he openly advocates discrimination of a group of people that has a personal quality that does not depend on their choice," said Professor Wiktor Osiatyński in a telephone interview with the news station TVN24. "It reminds me of the worst times of the Third Reich or communism, when homosexuality was a criminal offense."
"The prime minister, the government, and the senior coalition partner [PiS] should react," Osiatyński said.
The ruling party refrained from comments on the matter Tuesday. Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz had earlier said he did not want homosexuals to teach in public schools and has recently mentioned he would not want a gay cabinet member in his government.
But the entire opposition, including the leading neo-conservative Citizens' Platform (PO) leader Jan Rokita, was more vocal Tuesday.
"Such [Wierzejski-authored] concepts are a demonstration of weirdness. One [homosexuality] has nothing to do with the other [pedophilia and drugs], and such ties exist only in a world of total fiction, a world of ideological propaganda that has no link with reality," said Rokita, who in the past has downplayed the importance of calls for tolerance made by homosexual activists.
Rokita also tried to dismiss the importance of Wierzejski's official letter on homosexuals.
"Marginal views exist in Parliament, and this MP, whose name doesn't deserve mentioning, represents such views," Rokita said.
Rokita's party maintains a moderately conservative stance on gay rights and in the past did not join centrist and leftist parties in the defense of Equality Marches banned by the Warsaw authorities.
According to Robert Biedroń of the Campaign against Homophobia, Wierzejski's views are unprecedented in Europe.
"I've never heard anyone use such language," Biedroń said, adding that the recent anti-gay comments coming from the far-right and conservative camp may result in widespread hatred toward homosexuals in Poland.
"If Wierzejski says we're pedophiles and have ties with the underworld, an average John Smith will throw a stone," Biedroń said.
In a 2004 policy paper on sexual orientation discrimination in countries joining the European Union at the time, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Europe said that despite the relatively high level of concealment in surveys, the percentage of persons who are victims of violence and harassment remains very high, at 51% in Poland. The organization also said it found out in the survey that a young Polish woman reported she was raped by a stranger who found out she was lesbian, saying it was supposed to be a punishment. The rape was not reported to the police, ILGA Europe said. (WI) ms/
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 06:26 PM
WARSAW, Poland (Warsaw Independent)—The issue of gay rights returned to the front pages of the Polish media Tuesday, May 16, after a frontbench parliamentarian of a government coalition party suggested that homosexuals are pedophiles and have ties with drug dealers.
Wojciech Wierzejski of the far-right League of Polish Families (LPR) said in a letter addressed to Interior Minister Ludwik Dorn and Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro that the law enforcement authorities should check what he called "legal and illegal sources of financing" of organizations grouping homosexual activists. Wierzejski also suggested that a recent wave of protests against his party leader Roman Giertych, recently appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, were in fact inspired only by homosexuals and not mainstream NGOs and informal groups of students.
"Organizations that group activists of the homosexual movement in Poland use almost every day to launch attacks on the Polish government and its ministers. Deputy PM and Education Minister Roman Giertych is attacked in a particularly brutal way," Wierzejski said.
Thousands of students and leftist activists have been taking to the streets of various Polish cities, demanding Giertych's resignation and calling him an intolerant nationalist. An online appeal put together by an informal group several days ago was signed by nearly 60,000 people, including prominent academics and artists, such as Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda, and major historical figures such as Marek Edelman, the last living leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.
Wierzejski insisted that the protests against Giertych and his nationalist ideology were inspired by homosexuals.
"There aren't enough anarchists in Poland to organize such large rallies on the streets," Wierzejski told the daily Gazeta Wyborcza. "Homos organize those rallies using online chats and forums. They sign all kinds of appeals against Roman Giertych."
Wierzejski also reiterated his earlier statements that there was little difference between homosexuals and pedophiles.
"Every police office will confirm that homosexuals are a circle that is nearly 100% identical to the circle of pedophiles. It is a fact that does not require any research," Wierzejski said.
The far-right politician had earlier encouraged the use of force if gay activists organize their annual Equality March in Warsaw. "If deviants begin to demonstrate, they should be hit with batons," Wierzejski said at that time. The Equality March is planned for June 10. The marches were banned twice over the past two years by the conservative Warsaw mayor at the time, Lech Kaczyński, who in the meantime became Poland's president.
Wierzejski's comments, which he continued to make Tuesday in various interviews, fell on deaf ears of the government, led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party of the president's identical twin brother Jarosław Kaczyński. Most opposition politicians and commentators expressed negative opinions of Wierzejski, ranging from ridicule to outrage.
"[His comments] are outside the allowed freedom of expression and political actions because he openly advocates discrimination of a group of people that has a personal quality that does not depend on their choice," said Professor Wiktor Osiatyński in a telephone interview with the news station TVN24. "It reminds me of the worst times of the Third Reich or communism, when homosexuality was a criminal offense."
"The prime minister, the government, and the senior coalition partner [PiS] should react," Osiatyński said.
The ruling party refrained from comments on the matter Tuesday. Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz had earlier said he did not want homosexuals to teach in public schools and has recently mentioned he would not want a gay cabinet member in his government.
But the entire opposition, including the leading neo-conservative Citizens' Platform (PO) leader Jan Rokita, was more vocal Tuesday.
"Such [Wierzejski-authored] concepts are a demonstration of weirdness. One [homosexuality] has nothing to do with the other [pedophilia and drugs], and such ties exist only in a world of total fiction, a world of ideological propaganda that has no link with reality," said Rokita, who in the past has downplayed the importance of calls for tolerance made by homosexual activists.
Rokita also tried to dismiss the importance of Wierzejski's official letter on homosexuals.
"Marginal views exist in Parliament, and this MP, whose name doesn't deserve mentioning, represents such views," Rokita said.
Rokita's party maintains a moderately conservative stance on gay rights and in the past did not join centrist and leftist parties in the defense of Equality Marches banned by the Warsaw authorities.
According to Robert Biedroń of the Campaign against Homophobia, Wierzejski's views are unprecedented in Europe.
"I've never heard anyone use such language," Biedroń said, adding that the recent anti-gay comments coming from the far-right and conservative camp may result in widespread hatred toward homosexuals in Poland.
"If Wierzejski says we're pedophiles and have ties with the underworld, an average John Smith will throw a stone," Biedroń said.
In a 2004 policy paper on sexual orientation discrimination in countries joining the European Union at the time, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Europe said that despite the relatively high level of concealment in surveys, the percentage of persons who are victims of violence and harassment remains very high, at 51% in Poland. The organization also said it found out in the survey that a young Polish woman reported she was raped by a stranger who found out she was lesbian, saying it was supposed to be a punishment. The rape was not reported to the police, ILGA Europe said. (WI) ms/
