Tag Archives: Poland

Forbes reports: Though Russia continues to deny plans of an invasion of Ukraine, its thousands of soldiers posted at the Ukrainian border have forced many countries to prepare for a large influx of Ukrainian refugees should Russia attack. Polish interior minister Mariusz Kamiński [photo] tweeted Sunday the country is preparing for a “possible influx of refugees from Ukraine who, due …

The Associated Press reports: The Pentagon is sending another 3,000 combat troops to Poland to join 1,700 who already are assembling there in a demonstration of American commitment to NATO allies worried at the prospect of Russia invading Ukraine, a senior defense official said Friday. The additional soldiers will depart their post at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, over the next …

ABC News reports: A Catholic diocese in Poland apologized today for having asked a court to determine whether a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest is gay, and whether the sexual contact may have consequently been pleasurable for him. Following wide criticism, the Bielsko-Zywiec diocese said that its letter to the court should not have …

Notes From Poland reports: A Catholic curia in Poland has asked for a court to determine the sexuality of the victim of a priest and whether he took “pleasure in the intimate relationship”. The victim says he was 12 years old when the abuse began. Last year, Janusz Szymik – pictured above as a child – launched a civil case …

Reuters reports: Russia blamed the European Union on Wednesday for the migrant crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland, accusing it of trying to “strangle” Belarus with plans to close part of the frontier and urging it to talk directly with Minsk. As migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa made new attempts to break into Poland overnight, …

The Associated Press reports:  Polish lawmakers held an emotional debate Thursday on proposed legislation dubbed “Stop LGBT,” which would ban pride parades and other public gatherings deemed to “promote” same-sex relationships. The lawmakers are due to vote Friday on whether to reject or continue work on the proposal, which is a citizen’s legislative initiative that was submitted to parliament by …

The BBC reports: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has accused the EU of blackmail in a heated debate with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen over the rule of law. The clash in the European Parliament follows a top Polish court ruling that rejected key parts of EU law. Mrs von der Leyen said she would act to prevent …

Reuters reports: Hungary has called on European Union institutions “to respect member states’ sovereignty” after it backed a Polish court ruling that some EU law is incompatible with the Polish constitution. Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed a Hungarian government decree on Saturday, his press chief told state news agency MTI, welcoming the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Court which has plunged …

Reuters reports: A Polish court ruling challenging the supremacy of EU law plunged the European Union into an existential crisis on Friday and raised the possibility of Poland leaving the 27-nation bloc. Politicians across Europe voiced dismay at the court’s move to undermine the legal pillar on which the EU stands, with one minister warning the eastern European country that …

Bloomberg News reports: The European Union threatened to block as much as 126 million euros ($150 million) of cohesion funds to local Polish governments over anti-LGBTQ zones introduced in five provinces. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, sent letters to the governors of the provinces last week warning that if the resolutions weren’t rescinded the money would be withheld. …

Reuters reports: A Belarusian athlete who took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday a day after refusing her team’s orders to board a flight home from the Olympic Games has been granted a humanitarian visa by the Warsaw government. Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya plans to leave for Poland in the coming days, a Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin …

Reuters reports: Poland’s education minister said on Wednesday a march held in support of equal rights for LGBT people was an “insult to public morality” and questioned whether participants were normal, prompting angry protests from the opposition. Przemyslaw Czarnek also rejected the idea that “inclusive language” should be used in schools. “In Polish schools, the Polish language is obligatory, not …

Politico Europe reports: Poland will close most public venues this Saturday for three weeks, as the rapidly growing number of new daily coronavirus cases threatens the country’s already overwhelmed health care services, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Wednesday. On the day of the announcement, the country noted 25,052 new infections, a 44 percent jump on the same day last week, …

The Associated Press reports: The European Parliament has overwhelming adopted a resolution declaring the entire 27-member European Union a “freedom zone” for LGBT people, an effort to push back on rising homophobia in Poland and elsewhere. The parliament announced late Thursday that there were 492 ballots in favor of the resolution and 141 against in a vote that came after …

The Associated Press reports: The European Parliament is scheduled to debate a resolution on Wednesday that would declare the entire 27-member European Union a “freedom zone” for LGBT people. The move comes largely in reaction to developments over the past two years in Poland, where many local communities have adopted largely symbolic resolutions declaring themselves free of what conservative authorities …

The Guardian reports: Brussels has put itself on a collision course with the Polish and Hungarian governments after proposing to criminalise hate speech against LGBTQ+ people under EU law and secure recognition of same-sex partnerships across the bloc’s borders. Věra Jourová, a European commissioner, said the measures followed new “worrying trends”, with the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights reporting that …

The BBC reports: Ambassadors from around the world have called for the rights of gay and transgender people to be respected in Poland, where many towns have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. An open letter released on Sunday urges the Polish government to “end discrimination” of sexual minorities. It was signed by envoys from 50 countries, including Poland’s EU …

The Associated Press reports: Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who ran a campaign with homophobic and anti-Semitic overtones, narrowly won a second five-year term in a bitterly fought weekend election, defeating the liberal Warsaw mayor, according to a near-complete count of votes. Duda’s supporters celebrated what they saw as a clear mandate from voters for him and the right-wing …

The Associated Press reports: Poland planned to close its borders at midnight and deny all foreigners entry unless they lived in Poland or had personal ties there. The Czech Republic and Slovakia took similar action. Lithuania said it was introducing border checks at the frontiers with Poland and Latvia for 10 days and was considering banning foreigners from entering. Russia …

Agence France-Press reports: Poland’s left-wing parties on Tuesday approved Robert Biedron, an openly gay politician, as their candidate in the May presidential election. The move in the conservative, predominantly Catholic country where same-sex unions are not recognised, was aimed at preserving democracy, they said. Leaders in the Lewica (Left) alliance said they chose Biedron because of his clear backing for …