The Polish prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into a recent action by LGBT activists, involving the hanging of rainbow flags on a statue of Christ, on grounds of offence to religious feelings.
On Tuesday night, rainbow flags appeared on a number of prominent statues in Warsaw, including the figure of Christ. The following day prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the operation “an act of vandalism”.
Among the monuments were statues of prewar Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, Nicolaus Copernicus, the Warsaw mermaid, and – most controversially – a figure of Christ in front of a prominent church on Warsaw’s Krakowskie Przedmieście street.
The night-time action was instigated by three organisations campaigning for gay rights and sex education – Stop Bzdurom, Gang Samzamęt and Poetka. Along with rainbow flags, the activists put pink facemasks bearing anarchist symbols on the statues.
On Wednesday, Poland’s prime minister called the event an “act of vandalism”. “Such acts never lead to anything positive, and they have one goal – to further divide the society. I won’t allow this”, said Morawiecki.
Morawiecki also wrote on Twitter that “there will be no consent to the defilement of national and religious symbols in the name of any ideology.” He added that “the values symbolised [by the statues] are important to millions of Poles” and should thus be protected. “You shouldn’t become an aggressor under the false disguise of equality.”
Nie ma zgody na profanowanie symboli narodowych i religijnych w imię żadnej ideologii. Wartości, które symbolizują, ważne dla milionów Polaków, są dziedzictwem, które podlega szczególnej ochronie. Nie można pod płaszczykiem rzekomej równości stawać się agresorem. pic.twitter.com/E4NPgn2mWr
— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) July 29, 2020
The archbishop of Warsaw, cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, has issued a statement about the “pain” and harm inflicted on the religious feelings of believers by the action, reports Onet.pl: “Let us stop acts of vandalism and crossing the boundaries of public debate.”
Meanwhile Donald Tusk, president of the European People’s Party and a former prime minister of Poland, tweeted that “as head of the European Christian democrats, I’d like to point out that Jesus stood up for the weak and injured, never siding with oppressive authorities.”
Jako szef europejskich chrześcijańskich demokratów chciałbym przypomnieć, że Jezus stał zawsze po stronie słabszych i krzywdzonych, nigdy po stronie opresyjnej władzy.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) July 30, 2020
On Friday, the Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw announced that it has launched an investigation into the “profanation of Warsaw’s monuments” and “offence to religious feelings by publicly insulting the object of religious cult”.
In a similar case last month, three gay rights activists accused of producing and distributing images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus with rainbow halos were indicted for offending religious feelings, with a potential prison sentence of two years if found guilty.
Under article 196 of the Polish penal code “anyone who offends the religious feelings of other people by publicly insulting an object of religious worship of place intended for public performance of religious rites” may be fined or sentenced to up to two years in prison.
Stop Bzdurom has responded by saying that their goal was to publicise “internalised homophobic attitudes” as they believe that the rainbow symbolism should not in itself offend anyone.
The stunt also came a day after the European Commission rejected funding applications from six Polish towns due to the “LGBT ideology free zones” adopted by their authorities, escalating friction between Poland and the EU over gay rights issues.
On Thursday, MEP Beata Szydło, previously prime minister in the PiS government, lodged an inquiry with the European Commission about the rejections, adding that “the EC’s position is contrary to the treaty-granted freedom of expression” on Twitter.
Main image credit: JohnBoB & Sophie Art/Facebook
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
