EU commissioner for equality Helena Dalli being presented with thousands of petitions against Poland’s LGBT-free zones (Twitter/@helenadalli)
More than 340,000 people have signed a petition demanding the EU fight back against the rising homophobic hate in Poland’s “LGBT-free” zones.
The petition was launched by the global equality movement All Out and delivered to EU commissioner for equality, Helena Dalli, on Tuesday (September 22).
It urges her to denounce the discriminatory policies and pass legislation on hate crimes to protect the Polish LGBT+ community.
“LGBT+ people in Poland are under attack,” it reads, describing the spread of “LGBT-free zones” and aggressive “nationalist hooligans and far-right groups” at Pride.
“We call on you to condemn these acts of violence and discrimination and to urge Polish authorities to protect the LGBT+ community and to pass legislation on hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Dalli met with activists from All Out, Lambda Warszawa and Kampania Przeciwko Homofobii (Campaign Against Homophobia) as she accepted the petition earlier this week.
“No place for humanity free zones in the EU or anywhere around the world,” she declared on Twitter after their meeting, echoing the words of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in her first state of the union speech.
.@AllOut, @KPH_official and @lambda_warszawa presented me with 330,000 petitions against the ‘LGBTI free zones’ and detailed the hardships that LGBTI+ people are going through because of them.
No place for humanity free zones in the EU or anywhere around the world. pic.twitter.com/xCIS8a77oD
— Helena Dalli (@helenadalli) September 22, 2020
“Hate and violence against LGBT+ people in Poland have reached a boiling point,” said Matt Beard, executive director of All Out.
He and his fellow activist Marcin Rodzinka, co-chair of KPH, called on the commission to “immediately” trigger infringement procedure against Poland, acting under Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).
“LGBT+ [people] in Poland still have some hope left and the EU cannot leave them alone. Where the human rights are violated, we need to see a clear opposition and strong action,” Rodzinka added.