From Poland with Love - March
In our Poland Newsletter guest contributor Dr. Milosz Hodun is giving us monthly updates about current news, events and all other things you need to know about Poland.
Topic of the month
LGBT- New Enemy
Rafał Trzaskowski (PO), as newly elected Warsaw mayor, signed the declaration on behalf of the city, pledging support to the LGBT+ community. “Everyone is equal before the law. No form of discrimination is allowed, and Warsaw should be open to everybody. Guided by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the country’s fundamental law, and the vision of the Capital City as a friendly and inclusive place”, the document starts. The declaration provides guidance in such areas as security, education, culture, sport, administration, and work. “Warsaw is for everyone. This is not just a political slogan, but the vision I have for my beloved City as one where there is a place for everyone. Political leaders, also at the local government level, need to take a determined stand against homophobia and discrimination to bring about a positive change in social behaviour. This equality is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland,” says Trzaskowski. Warsaw Town Hall explained on its official web site why the declaration is important:- out of the nearly 2 million people who make up the community of Warsaw residents, up to 200,000 are members of LGBT+ groups,
- nearly 70 percent of LGBT people have experienced some form of violence over the last two years. For LGBT teenagers, the place where they experience aggression is usually school (26%), with their peers as the usual perpetrators (19%).
Politics
Teachers’ strike
Nearly 80% of all schools and preschools in Poland declared their will to take part in the nationwide strike, the president of the Polish Teachers' Union (ZNP), Sławomir Broniarz announced. According to the unions, the strike is set to begin on the 8th of April with no end date scheduled. The highest percentage of schools that declared readiness to join the strike was recorded in the following voivodeships: Kuyavian-Pomeranian (91%), Łódź (87%), Warmian-Masurian (87%) and Greater Poland (84%). According to the ZNP, as much as 91,2% of teachers, from all the schools which held the strike referendum, have approved of the protest. The strike's start date coincides with the external exams scheduled for April: middle school exams are set for 10th, 11th and 12th of April; 8th-grade exams for 15th, 16th and 17th of April and the A-level exams are to begin on 6th of May. ZNP and Trade Union Forum demand teachers' salary increase by PLN 1.000 (some EUR 235). Teachers are angry that PiS has just promised another huge social benefits package worth over EUR 10 billion and there is no offer for them. The unions are accusing the government of ignoring the negotiations and the teachers. “Solidarność” Trade Union, that supports PiS government, is demanding smaller increases and is not supporting the ZNP’s strike. Some of its members chose a different form of strike and are occupying the HQ of the Lesser Poland Department of Education in Kraków, some are on hunger strike. Head of this department is known in Poland for her radical right-wing views. Oddly enough she is rumored to replace Anna Zalewska as minister of education. Zalewska, according to the media, was promised a lead position on PiS EP lists already in 2015 in exchange of taking the education ministry and running the very controversial reform. Read more on the topic in the February issue of the Newsletter.On Polish Courts in Luxembourg
The General Affairs Council will convene in Luxembourg on the April 9th to further discuss the issue of rule of law in Poland. In February, the European ministers discussed the situation in Poland for the 11th time in a row. The situation in Poland and Hungary, in relation to the Article 7 procedure of the EU Treaty, is on agenda which was initially agreed upon by the ambassadors of member-states in Brussels. "It's practically certain that it will stay on the agenda," PAP learned from a source that insisted to remain anonymous. In mid March Danish government requested that the problem should be discussed and was supported by more or less half other member states. According to PAP, Poland opposed the idea claiming that there were no new aspects regarding the issue and therefore it shouldn't be discussed before May's election to the European Parliament.Society
WÓSP breaks another record
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) raised a record PLN 175,9 million (some EUR 40 million). It's almost 50 million more than last year. The foundation's president, Jerzy Owsiak made the announcement in the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk. He made reference to Gdańsk mayor Paweł Adamowicz who was murdered during this year's fundraiser. PLN 16 million was raised on Facebook during a spontaneous “Mayor Adamowicz’s Last Collecting Box” event (see the January issue of the Newsletter). WOŚP is one of the biggest non-governmental charity organizations in Poland, founded in 1993 to provide medical equipment to public hospitals in order to protect health and save children’s lives. For the last three years it has also been collecting money to provide better healthcare for the elderly. Every year its Grand Finale is an extraordinary event. Charity concerts and thousands of other attractions are organized in numerous cities in Poland by volunteers and WOŚP itself. During the first Grand Finale, in 1993, WOŚP collected about PLN 2,5 million (USD 1,5 million). Have a look at WOŚP's homepage (in English): https://en.wosp.org.pl/.Church Pedophilia Report
Polish Catholic Church presented long-waited report on pedophilia. It documents hundreds of cases confirming that there is a big problem, but refusing to take the responsibility. This is the first time Poland’s church published data, coming from more than 10.000 local parishes all over the country. Covering the period from 1990 to 2018, the study was commissioned by the Episcopal Conference of Poland. It found that a total of 624 victims, including nearly 200 under the age of 15, were sexually abused by 382 priests – who remained unnamed – in the last 28 years. "We know that this is still only the tip of the iceberg," Jesuit Adam Żak, the episcopate's coordinator for child protection and youth said. Less than half the cases were reported to the state authorities. Of those that were reported a vast majority of the cases were confirmed by judges and offenders were sentenced. Not less shocking than the report itself were words of comment of two top Poland’s priests, chairman and deputy chairman of the Episcopal Conference. Instead of simply apologizing and offering help to the victims, both archbishops said “We are sorry, but…”. "The church must be impeccable and firm in stigmatizing evil. But it must... also show mercy to the perpetrators if they strive for internal transformation, if they regret [their actions]," said archbishop Marek Jedraszewski. He called a zero-tolerance approach to offenders. “When the Nazis fought with Jews, applying a ‘zero tolerance’ mentality, it resulted in the Holocaust,” he said. “The church must be impeccably firm in stigmatizing evil, in the fight against evil, but it must also -- in accordance with what Jesus taught us -- call for conversion, penance and mercy to the perpetrators if they really want to take a new life, if they sincerely regret it.” Archbishop Stanisław Gądeski said that the problem was not confined to the church and that related areas of abuse also needed attention. “What is the point of dealing with this problem in the Catholic Church if that problem persists in other groups of the society?” he asked. Many commentators believe that the figures released in the report underestimated the true extent of the scandal. Nie Lękajcie Się (Have No Fear), an advocacy group that fights against pedophilia in the Polish church, published a report earlier this year that documented almost 400 cases of sex abuse by clergymen in the catholic church and detailed the cases of 85 priests convicted of pedophilia, another 88 whose alleged abuse has been exposed by the media and 95 others accused by reported victims. The report also names, unlike the church report, 24 archbishops and bishops accused of covering up abuse. The NGO’s delegation led by Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus MP handed the report to Pope Francis in the Vatican. In Poland, pressure to clean the church intensified last year following the release of The Clergy (Kler), a movie about child abuse and greed in the church that broke box office records. Over five million viewers went to see the film since it was released in September. Also, in February, the statue of Henryk Jankowski, a priest and former leading figure of the Solidarity movement who died in 2010, was removed by protesters after he was accused for pedophilia (see February issue of the Newsletter). More Information: Map of pedophilia in Polish church according to Nie Lękajcie Się Foundation.Election Update
According to recent polls, the EP elections will be a battle between PiS and the European Coalition (Civic Platform, SLD, PSL, Nowoczesna and the Greens). These two blocks will compete in thirteen constituencies for some 45 of Poland’s 52 seats. It looks like only the newly created Wiosna party (left) and anti-establishment Kukiz’15 can reach the 5% threshold and win 3-5 mandates each. Every list counts ten names but the biggest focus is on list leaders. Among the most interesting competitions are:- Warsaw: Former SLD prime minister, speaker of the Sejm and minister of foreign affairs Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz will compete with Jacek Saryusz-Wolski MEP, who was elected from PO list in 2014 and run against Donald Tusk to become the president of the European Council. The European Coalition will also have other recognizable names like current MEPs Danuta Hubner and Michał Boni, Civic Platform MPs Andrzej Halicki and Michał Zalewski, Nowoczesna group leader Paweł Pudłowski and former Nowoczesna group leader (currently in PO) Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz. Jacek Saryusz-Wolski will be backed by the EP vice president Ryszard Czarnecki. Wiosna will be fighting for a seat for the party leader Robert Biedroń or Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, former Nowoczesna MP, now mostly known for her fight against pedophilia in the church.
- In Wielkopolska (Poznań) the Coalition lists will be headed by two former PMs: Ewa Kopacz from PO and Leszek Miller from SLD. PiS will run here Zdzisław Krasnodębski, current EP vice president.
- In Małopolska-Świętkorzyskie (Kraków) on the top of PiS list there will be Beata Szydło, former PM and Patryk Jaki, deputy minister of justice and candidate for mayor in Warsaw in 2018. The Coalition’s leader is Róża Thun MEP.
- One of the most emotional races will take place in Lower Silecia (Wrocław) where current education minister Anna Zalewska will be challenged by Janina Ochojska, founder and president of the most famous Polish aid foundation.