Another attack against organisation advancing LGBT rights

The head office of another non-governmental organisation promoting the rights of LGBT+ persons has recently been targeted by an attack. This time, unknown perpetrators broke into the office of Stonewall Group Association from Poznań.

The HFHR asked the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań in writing to supervise the proceedings conducted in this case. The Foundation also contacted the Government’s Plenipotentiary for the Civil Society and Equal Treatment, emphasising that the Government should act in order to prevent further attacks against non-governmental organisations.

Recent attacks targeting NGOs

According to media reports, the head office of the Stonewall Group Association was burglarized last week. The office was vandalised and the only items that were reported stolen were the two rainbow flags displayed in windows of the premises. Associations activists say this was a homophobic incident. Earlier, similar incidents affected other organisations: The Campaign Against Homophobia and the Warsaw branch of the Lambda Association. Windows were broken at the offices of these NGOs and offensive slogans were painted on the doors.

Discrimination based on sexual orientation cannot be underestimated

“As the European Court of Human Rights points out in its case law, discrimination based sexual orientation is as worrying as that based on a race, ethnic origin or skin colour. That is why public authorities should respond with the same urgency to cases of hate crime motivated by homophobic factors”, reads the HFHR’s letter to the Regional Prosecutor in Poznań.

Is Government planning to prevent attacks on NGOs?

The HFHR has expressed its concern over the repeating attacks against representatives of the civic society, which, as circumstances suggest, are fuelled by bias and intolerance.

In a letter addressed to the Government’s Plenipotentiary for the Civil Society and Equal Treatment, the HFHR asked whether the Government has planned or plans to take action aiming at preventing further attacks against non-governmental organisations.