A Tolerant Krakow?
The Festival of gay and lesbian culture, organised by the Campaign against Homophobia, took place in Krakow between May 6th and 9th. One of its main events was the march of gays, lesbians and the Campaign´s supporters to Wawel castle, which took place on May 6th. It was accompanied by an illegal counter-demonstration the participants of which threw eggs, stones and bottles at the marching group. (12-MAY-04)
The controversy associated with the organisation of the Festival “Culture for Tolerance” in Krakow grew from the very beginning. The antagonists described the Festival, and the march in particular, as provocation – especially since, originally the March was supposed to be held on Sunday, the same day when Krakow traditionally hosts the Saint Stan´s procession. However, the protest did not cease even after the organisers decided to move the March to Friday. The Catholic circles, The Pan-Polish Youth (Mlodziez Wszechpolska) (a nationalist organisation considered as the youth movement of The Polish Families League <Liga Polskich Rodzin>), as well as activists from the political parties: extreme right wing The Polish Families League and centrist Citizen´s Platform (Platforma Obywatelska), protested against the idea. The provincial assembly also joined in the appeal to the city´s president to obstruct the event.
Noble Prize winners living in Krakow: the poets Czeslaw Milosz and Wislawa Szymborska, stood up for the Festival. They were supported by a numerous group of intellectuals, The Helsinki Committee, as well as the Association of Social Democratic Youth (Federacja Mlodych Socjaldemokratow) and the Polish Green Party. The Festival was placed under the auspices of the Governmental Plenipotentiary for the Equal Status of Men and Women.
The peaceful March was received with a great dose of goodwill by the residents of Krakow and turned into a manifestation of support for tolerance and human rights. However, it was accompanied by an illegal counter-demonstration, in which a few hundred people took part. Eggs, stones and bottles were hurled at the participants of the March. About 15 minutes after the March ended and its participants dispersed, the aggressive counter-demonstrators reached the Old Town Square, where rioting broke out. The witnesses of the incident say that politicians from The Polish Families League: MP Stanislaw Papiez, alderman Maciej Twarog and regional council member Piotr Stachura led the counter-demonstrators.
The representatives of the Campaign against Homophobia declare that they will file a detailed report to the public prosecutor´s office against the leaders of the counter-demonstration, accusing them of abetment to hatred and physical abuse.
The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights organised an observation of the demonstration´s proceedings, which was co-ordinated on-site by Professor Zbigniew Holda from the Foundation´s Board. A report from the observation will soon be ready.
The Polish Helsinki Committee´s statement from May 5th, 2004:
“The Helsinki Committee in Poland consistently comes out in defence of the freedom of assembly, which is, along with freedom of speech, one of the fundamental guaranties for the implementation of all other human rights and liberties. The statements made by the representatives of the public authorities in Krakow and the Malopolska province, which opposed the organisation of the festival of gay and lesbian culture, characteristically entitled “Culture for Tolerance”, meet with our fiercest opposition. We fully back the statement made by the Polish Noble Prize Winners´ Wislawa Szymborska and Czeslaw Milosz, who pointed out that: The sphere of public life belongs to all of us. Each and every one of us has the right to manifest our existence in it, regardless of the views we express, our faith, or sexual orientation. Denying people this right is the first step towards creating a totalitarian state.
At the same time, the Board of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights remains, as always, at the disposal of all those, whose rights and freedoms are violated.”
