Poland Gay Rights Update: Gays march in Krakow, other marches planned
by Matt | November 27th, 2005 |From 365gay.com:
Polish Gays March For Civil Rights
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: November 27, 2005 12:01 am ET
(Warsaw) Dozens of gay rights activists braved near freezing temperatures and heavy rain to march through the streets of Krakow Saturday - part of a weekend blitz of Polish cities - to demand the government abide by European civil rights laws.
Carrying signs saying “Reanimation of democracy” and “We are all different, we are all humans” the marchers denounced last weekend’s mass arrests of gays in the city of Poznan, (story) where riot police detailed 65 gays and lesbians who refused to disband when they attempted to hold a gay pride march.
The arrests are seen as a part of a major crackdown on gays by the far right Law and Justice party.
During September’s election campaign Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, the new Prime Minister said that if gays try to “infect others with their homosexuality, then the state must intervene in this violation of freedom.”
Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski elected this fall as Poland’s President under the Law and Justice banner also has a long history of homophobia.
In June, he refused to grant permission for a gay pride parade in the capital. Nevertheless, more than 2,500 people ignored the order and marched anyway. Opponents threw eggs and stones at the marchers, and police detained 29 people.
An LGBT rights march is planned in Warsaw today. Kaczynski is still the mayor until December 22.
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Matt, 21, is an LGBT activist and youth advocate working mainly within the cities of Greensboro & Winston-Salem and the State of North Carolina. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14, now currently serving as the Executive Director/Co-founder of Activate! - The North Carolina Advocacy Coalition.
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