2006.02.10 - The Polish government want to change the Campaign logo

The following is the translation of this article of the Gazeta Wyborcza. The article appeared on page 2 of the newspaper.

Gazeta Wyborcza
Ewa Siedlecka  February 10, 2006,

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR EQUALITY IN POLAND

The Council of Europe’s campaign “All different – all equal” will be termed in Poland “All different – all in solidarity we stand”. The term “equality” will be not in use as it is associated with the Parades.

The Council of Europe’s campaign “All different – all equal” that promotes tolerance began in 1995. From 2006 its second stage, mostly addressed to  young people, has started. The characteristic black and white logo with the campaign’s motto “All different – all equal” has remained. The  Polish Ministry of Education, however, responsible for establishing the Campaign National Committee wishes  that this motto be changed in Poland to “All different – all in solidarity we stand”.
“I can’t understand why “equality” drops out of the motto, actions against discrimination,  intolerance and xenophobia were then the core of the campaign” – says Hanna Machińska, Director of the Warsaw Information Office of the Council of Europe.  Until now our essential task under the campaign has been to convince everyone that he or she has the right to expect equal treatment by public authorities, regardless of his or her nationality, religion, origin or sexual orientation. The new motto seems to lack all these contents – she adds.

Why “equality” has dropped out?  Equality is constantly discussed so what’s the reason for its duplication? Moreover, it is associated with the Quality Parades – says Jarosław Zieliński, Deputy Minister of Education, who is in charge of the Campaign on behalf of the Polish Government. In my opinion, the context of our motto has been enriched and new dimension brought to it: solidarity in diversity. Actually, at the previous stage of the Campaign different mottos were adopted in  different countries, for example, in the Chech Republic it read; “Respect to everyone”.

Not only the motto, but also the content are to differ from previous ones. Actions against intolerance and racism  are to be replaced by “the promotion of the inter-culture dialogue through actions aimed at developing and fostering  participation of the youth in Polish national culture, supporting the culture of national minorities living in Poland, and promoting international cooperation between young people”,  and under the human rights profile: “ the promotion of actions aimed at giving equal opportunities (…) addressed to children and young people living in rural areas, especially those living in regions of called “post-state-farms”. Why Poland intends to promote activities of social nature instead of promoting classic human rights? Why we should talk all the time about those  idle mottos, which have already been hackneyed?  We obviously support them, but our intention is to create for the youth decent living conditions. Otherwise, only some chosen ones will benefit from human rights – says Minister Zieliński.

The Information Office of the Council of Europe in Warsaw witnesses the inflow of protests lodged by nongovernmental organisations, which have been largely involved in activities initiated under the motto: “All different – all equal”. Ernest Lewicki  of the “Ostra Zieleń (Harsh Green)” Association says: “This kind of understanding dims the real massage of this praiseworthy initiative.” One of the anti-fascist organisations: “This motto very strongly associates with that of Polish solidarity  as voiced by the Law and Justice”. CyberHate – an organisation that tracks down the speech of hatred in the Internet: “The term does not reflect the core of the action and plays the role of an exponent of  “Polish-nation self-satisfaction ”.

Everyone can organise his or her own campaign and name it as he or she wishes, but saying that a campaign with “solidarity” means the same as a campaign with “equality” is just not true – says Halina Bortnowska of the Helsinki Committee in Poland. She is an animator of “Wirydarz” an organisation gathering young people who carry out activities for tolerance and against anti-Semitism and speech of hatred.

Piotr Nowina-Konopka of the Schumann Foundation: “I can’t understand why we tend to break out of  European solidarity and invent our own mottos even in our common actions”.

Minister Janusz Zieliński: “ We should look not only at European mottos, but also  take care of our own Polish values. The Council of Europe has not forbidden and will not forbid us to change mottos. The Campaign is mostly funded by the government, and for our own money we could be free to choose our own  priorities and mottos.

---

The article also contained a poll, were 4375 people expressed their opinion on what motto is the best. The results as on Friday at 15.45 were:

• All different, all equal (Wszyscy różni, wszyscy równi) (3941) - 90%
• All different, all in solidarity we stand (Wszyscy różni, wszyscy solidarni ) (434) - 10%

2006.10.02 - Terry Davis on the use of 'Compass' in Poland

2006.10.02 - The CoE threatens Varsaw on homophobia

Translation in English of a France Press release.

---

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Terry Davis, has threatened on Monday to bring before the committee of ministers a story of homophobia, given that no satisfactory explanations have been given by Warsaw.

In June, Miroslaw Sielatycki, director of the permanent training centre on teaching (CODN), an institution of the Polish ministry of education, has been fired for having edited in Polish a brochure (sic) of the Council of Europe where it was suggested to teacher to invite LGTB organisations for speaking about discrimination.

« I just received an answer from the Polish authorities, but their motivations do not completely dissolve my inquietude for an homophobic behaviour supported by the government », Terry Davis explained in an article published by "Gazeta Wyborcza on Monday.

« It is too early to say how things will finish. If the fundamental rights of a person have been violated because of an action or non-action of the government, the issue can be brought before the European Court of Human Rights », Terry Davis wrote.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has qualified the dismissal of Mr. Sielatycki as « unusual, given the membership of Poland to the Council of Europe and its commitments towards the values of the organisation. These values are not on a reception tray, where governments can pick them up according to their tastes ».

The Committee of Ministers is formed by the Foreign Ministers  of all the member countries. Watchdog - together with the Parliamentary Assembly - of the values at the base of the existence of the Council of Europe. The Committee has the mission to check member states pursue their commitments ».

2006.10.14 - The theory of evolution is a lie, and we don't need tolerance

Still a translation of an article from Gazeta Wyborcza.

---

Vice-minister of education: We will manage without tolerance

Aleksandra Pezda: In Gazeta we wrote that the European MP Maciej Giertych wants to throw the theory of evolution out of schools. On the other hand, you said in an interview for Rzeczpospolita that you do not believe in this theory.

Mirosław Orzechowski: I did say that the theory of evolution is a lie. I am convinced that this is a mistake that was legalized as the prevailing truth. For me this is more of a story that belongs to the realm of fiction, you could even base a science-fiction movie on it.

The very theory of Darwin was modified while he was still alive, [the scientists] provided facts to undermine this theory. In general, you can treat Darwinism as a loose concept created by an elderly non-believer who viewed the world in this way.
Maybe this is because he was vegetarian and lacked inner fire.
This is sad, and this is precisely what is being taught in Polish schools. Well, there have been other lies in Polish schools, for instance, that Stalin was the founder of peace, that the tragedy of Katyn never took place.

But they don't teach that in schools anymore.

No. But there are other lies. For instance, we have long been told that a human being from the moment of conception is not really a person, just a soulless zygote. We are on our way to change the world for the better. Sometimes the results are for better, sometimes for worse, but we have to strive towards a world that is based on the truth and beauty as well as what is right.

But we might differ in our understanding of these concepts...

Then we have to reach for the classical works that have been recognized as the cultural heritage of the contemporary world – such as the Bible or works of antiquity. Darwinism was an intellectual motivation for non-believers, for them it became a sort of para-scientific argumentation method.
On the other hand, creationism is a concept that has survived for the past 2000 in Christianity. This is a truth of our civilization that flows straight from the faith, it has been passed on without being questioned for thousands of generations.

According to you the theory of evolution should be removed from school textbooks?

We will not remove it from textbooks. However, we should start a debate on this issue. Because you should not teach lies instead of truth, the same with evil instead of good, or monstrosity instead beauty.

So what is going to happen to the teachers who according to scientific findings will teach the theory of evolution? Quite recently the head of the National Teacher Training Centre lost his job because he allowed for a discussion about homosexuality in schools…

There you go! This is the most drastic form of lies: that two individuals of the same sex can form a relationship. I mean it does happen, but you cannot legalize it because it ruins our civilization.

And I will never contribute to a situation in which in school you could find a textbook that advises you to find the a representative of the gay movement, invite him to class so that he can tell that human rights are being violated because they cannot adopt children.  

But this textbook only encouraged to be tolerant and posed questions...

But can there be such a question? No way! I represent the views of a civilization in which I was formed. We have to make sure this civilization survives.

Where is the space, then, for tolerance of different worldviews?

Oh, the world used to manage without tolerance and it will keep on going without it. We cannot have a couple of maniacs deciding about the fate of our civilization…
Sielatycki (the head of the National Teacher Training Centre) was fired not specifically for his own views, but for sharing them with others in schools.

The teachers bought the manual of the Council of Europe published by the National Teacher Training Centre – what is going to happen if they use it in schools?

All of the books have been locked and they will not be distributed any further, at least this is what the head of the National Teacher Training Centre affirms. If the situation is any different – I will intervene.

Nothing is going to happen to the teachers. I do believe that they are not rebels, but experienced pedagogues who understand their mission and do not assume the depravation of youth and children. If anything goes differently – I will react.

2007.01.28 - Some statistics on homophobia in Poland

[inline:1=Never Again Homophobia]The organisers of the action week in Poland have looked through the recently published Eurobarometer on discrimination and have extrapolated the following data about Poland.

• 59 percent of Poles believe in widespread discrimination against homosexuals in Poland, a Eurobarometer poll published in Brussels found out.
• 41 percent of the pollees said the tendency had grown in the past five years.
• 56 percent of Poles believe that homosexuality in Poland is a taboo topic.
• 78 percent agree with a statement that revealing a different sexual orientation in one's workplace is "tough".
• 24 percent said Poland does enough to counter-act all forms of discrimination; the lowest percentage in the entire EU.
• 33 percent of Poles believe that there is racial discrimination in Poland, with the EU average being 64 percent.
• 22 percent of Poles have recorded its growth in the past five years.
• 65 percent would not like to belong to Roma people but 67 percent said ethnic minorities enrich the Polish culture.
• 53 percent of Poles believe in discrimination against the disabled, 40 percent see discrimination against old age, 30 percent see discrimination against a particular sex and 29 percent against religion other than the Roman Catholic.
• 70 percent had nothing against wearing religious symbols in a workplace.

In Poland the poll was run by TNS OBOP on June 10 and July 4, 2006 on a sample of 1,000 people. If you are interested to download the complete datasheet for Poland, you can find it here .

2006.09.06 - Interview with Livia Jaroka

The interview can also be downloaded from the download centre:

.

2006.10.23 - Offences to Lívia Járóka, MEP by a Bulgarian officer

[inline:1=Lívia Járóka MEP]Lívia Járóka, Member of the European Parliament and Roma person, has been recently nominated for a prize on "Justice and Fundamental Rights" by the magazine of the European Parliament, but her nomination was commented by Dimitar Stoyanov, a Bulgarian observer in the European Parliament in an offencive and racist way in an e-mail circulated between MEPs.

---

---

Hans-Gert Poettering, the group chairman for EPP-ED at the European parliament has commented as follows: