Tag Archives: Poland

Reuters reports: Critics of Poland’s right-wing ruling party voiced outrage Thursday after one of its senators said Poland should be “purged” of those “not worthy of belonging to our national community.” They said the language used by Grzegorz Bierecki echoed fascists of the 1930s. He said his comments were misunderstood and refused to apologize. “Horrifying, shameful words evoking Europe’s darkest …

The Washington Post reports: A priest in northern Poland who led a public burning of books that included titles from the “Harry Potter” series and other items parishioners wanted destroyed has apologized, saying the ritual was not intended to condemn specific authors, religions or social groups. The Rev. Rafal Jarosiewicz called the burning of objects thought to be connected to …

The Guardian reports: Catholic priests in Poland have burned books that they say promote sorcery, including JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, in a ceremony they photographed and posted on Facebook. Three priests in the northern city of Koszalin were pictured carrying the books in a large basket from inside a church to a stone area outside. The books were set …

Newsweek reports: A large group of Polish nationalists took over a major square in downtown Manhattan on Sunday, protesting U.S. legislation that seeks to compensate Holocaust survivors whose property was seized during World War II. The marchers were draped in Polish flags and carried signs opposing bill SS47, which became law in May 2018. The law calls for the return …

Gay Star News reports: Less than two weeks after its mayor signed a historic accord recognizing the rights of LGBTI people, homophobes unfurled an anti-gay banner at a soccer match in Warsaw. Fans of the team Legia Warsaw unfurled the massive banner which read, ‘keep Warsaw free from faggots’ on Friday night. The banner also featured the LGBT acronym with …

The Associated Press reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s off-hand comment in Warsaw about Poland and the Holocaust set in motion a diplomatic crisis that on Monday scuttled this week’s summit of central European leaders in Israel. Poland’s abrupt decision to cancel its participation in the planned Visegrad conference in protest blew up the gathering, which Netanyahu has touted as a …

The Associated Press reports: Polish police used tear gas and a water cannon Saturday against right-wing extremists who were trying to block the first equality parade in the city of Lublin in eastern Poland. More than 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists with rainbow-colored flags and banners gathered Saturday in Lublin for the parade, while around 300 right-wing …

The Washington Post reports: The Polish government did everything it could to turn Tuesday’s visit into one of Trump’s more enjoyable moments. Yet, somehow, Trump managed to offend the Poles so deeply that the fallout was all over Polish news sites on Wednesday morning. What happened? At the end of their meeting, the two leaders agreed to sign a strategic …

Politico reports: U.S. President Donald Trump is “very seriously” considering Warsaw’s request for a permanent U.S. military base in Poland, he said on Tuesday. Speaking at a joint press conference with Andrzej Duda in Washington D.C., Trump said the security of the Central European country was “almost as important” to him as to the Polish president. “Poland is willing to …

CBS News reports: President Trump is meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda at the White House Tuesday. This is Duda’s first official visit to the White House since Trump took office. The two are expected to discuss trade, the military and security, according to the White House. Poland’s First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda is also visiting the White House. The two …

The Associated Press reports: A few dozen right-wing extremists have blocked a gay rights march on its route to Poland’s holiest Catholic shrine while the prime minister was attending an event at the religious site. About 1,000 people with rainbow-colored banners and umbrellas were heading toward the Jasna Gora shrine in the southern city of Czestochowa when they came across …

Gay Star News reports: Poland’s first openly gay mayor, might just become the country’s first ever openly gay president. Robert Biedroń is throwing his hat in the presidential campaign ahead of a national vote in 2020. Even though the election is a few years away, recent polls show one in every four Poles is willing to vote for Biedroń. This …

The Catholic Herald reports: Polish MPs have approved a bill that will phase out Sunday shopping by 2020. The Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, passed the bill by 254 to 156 to restrict Sunday shopping to the first and last Sunday of the month until the end of 2018, only on the last Sunday in the month in …

The Associated Press reports: Tens of thousands of nationalists marched in a demonstration organized by far-right groups in Warsaw Saturday, as Poles celebrated their country’s Independence Day. But the march has become the largest Independence Day event in recent years, overshadowing official state observances and other patriotic events. Some participants expressed sympathy for xenophobic or white supremacist ideas, with one …

Via Raw Story: President Donald Trump on Thursday reached out to shake the hand of Agata Kornhauser-Duda, the wife of Polish President Andrzej Duda, but he was rejected. Video shows Trump shaking Duda’s hand before reaching out to his wife. But Kornhauser-Duda walks right past the president to shake the hand of Melania Trump. Lol pic.twitter.com/KpAUObihVR — Billy Howell (@CoachBilly1) …

At a joint press conference this morning with the Polish president, Trump fielded a question from the Daily Mail, who asked about CNN’s handling of the Reddit user who created his wrestling video. Via Mediaite: Putting North Korea on the back burner Trump pounced on CNN with obvious relish. “I think what CNN did was unfortunate for them. As you …

The Associated Press reports: Trump’s first trip to Europe as president in May saw a series of awkward encounters, including a tough speech to the leaders of NATO countries urging them to spend more on their armed forces, an uncomfortable handshake with France’s new president, and a caught-on-camera moment when Trump pushed past the prime minister of Montenegro, Europe’s newest …

Deutsche Welle reports: The 17th annual ‘Equality Parade’ took place as Poland’s conservative government continues to oppose civil unions for same-sex couples. Organizers put the number at 50,000, while the police said 13,000 attended the parade, with 40 foreign embassies, including those of France and the US, expressing their support. The parade was intended to “draw attention to the rights …

You may need a tissue for this. The Independent reports: A Polish Christmas advert, which has been viewed more than two-and-a-half million times, about a grandfather learning English is melting hearts worldwide. The advert, released by online auction website Allegro, starts with the elderly man receiving an “English For Beginners” audio set from the website. He then sets about becoming …

Radio Free Europe reports: Russia led an effort at the United Nations to strip language from an AIDS resolution that would have called for the decriminalization of homosexuality and drug use. Russia was joined by Iran, Poland, and several Gulf states in blocking the decriminalization language from being included in a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on June …