Polish magazine distributed hate stickers: "LGBT+ free zone"

The Polish magazine Gazeta Polska included stickers that read “LGBT-free Zone,” promoting hatred, intolerance, and violence. The courts ordered their removal.

August 7, 2019

Gazeta Polska included a sticker in its July edition that reads “LGBT-Free Zone,” promoting hatred, intolerance, and violence. Poland ranks among the lowest in the European Union (EU) in terms of discrimination and inequality, according to data from Rainbow Europe , a mapping project carried out by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association in the EU. The magazine supports the ruling far-right Law and Justice party, which is seeking to maintain its hold on power and secure the conservative vote in the upcoming October elections. They claim to have already liberated thirty towns in Poland, declaring them “LGBT-free.” The stickers were distributed inside the weekly newspaper, generating criticism and condemnation from LGBT rights activists in Poland, who have compared Gazeta Polska to Nazi propaganda against Jews. Warsaw's Deputy Mayor, Paweł Rabiej, filed a complaint with the local prosecutor's office regarding the magazine's campaign. “The German fascists created Jewish-free zones. Apartheid, in black. As you can see, this tradition finds worthy followers, this time in Poland,” Rabiej posted on his Twitter account. Days after the post, the Warsaw Regional Court ordered Gazeta Polska to temporarily remove the LGBT-hate stickers. But even before that, some distributors tried to boycott the distribution of the stickers and removed them from the magazines. Gazeta Polska quickly responded on its Twitter account. “We’ve received many reports from all over Poland that Gazeta Polska is missing a sticker. Please check before buying.” “If a sticker is missing somewhere or isn’t available weekly, please let us know at koportaz@gazetapolska.tv,” they wrote on their account. The distribution came a month after Warsaw hosted a historic LGBT pride march, attended by around 80,000 people, including Mayor Rafal Trzakowski. Same-sex marriage, legal in 27 European Union countries, remains prohibited in Poland.

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