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

An article by Terry Davis published on the  Gazeta Wyborcza, in Poland.

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Use the compass to find the right way
by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

A year ago, I was one of many people in Europe and around the world who thoroughly enjoyed the Polish riposte against the negative rhetoric in the run-up to the French Referendum on the European Union Constitution.  The handsome Polish plumber telling the French that he was staying at home but inviting them to visit was a masterpiece of public relations and an effective response to xenophobic messages in France.

But a few months ago, I was considerably less amused by some of the news coming from Poland.  The wave of intolerance targeting especially gays and homosexuals, came as a surprise and was in stark contrast to the positive image of an open and modern society which used to give a lesson in tolerant behaviour to its European neighbours.  I was particularly disappointed by some politicians who endorsed and propagated homophobic views instead of standing up against the language of prejudice and hate.

To be perfectly honest, the image is not entirely black and white.  Unlike some other capitals in Europe which continue to violate the right to the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, a Gay Pride Parade in Warsaw was not only authorised this year, but took place without incident.  But to tolerate – grudgingly - those who are different is not enough because genuine tolerance requires acceptance, understanding and respect.  In the Council of Europe, we are not in the business of imposing values on anyone because this would be meaningless and counter-productive. In any truly open and democratic society these values are embraced, not pushed down people’s throats.

The key is education, and the Council of Europe has developed a multitude of tools and programmes to help our member states in teaching the values which our Organisation was set up to defend and extend.  One of them is Compass, a manual on human rights education for young people, produced by the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights.  Since its first publication, Compass has been translated into thirteen languages, from Spanish to Arabic.

In May 2005, the Polish version of Compass was launched on the occasion of the Council of Europe Summit in Warsaw, and we were all very proud.  A year later, the new Polish Minister of Education dismissed the Director of the government agency which financed and distributed the manual, and we were all very puzzled.  Reportedly, the Minister objected to the Compass chapter on homosexuality and homophobia.

Naturally, I asked the Polish authorities for a clarification of a decision which seemed, to put it mildly, unusual in the light of Poland’s membership in the Council of Europe and its commitment to the values it represents.  These values are not a smorgasbord from which governments can pick and chose as they like. 

I have now received a reply from the Polish authorities, but I am afraid that their arguments fail to fully alleviate my concern of government sanctioned homophobic behaviour.

How this story will unravel, it is too early to say.  If any individual’s human rights have been violated as a result of the government’s action or omission to act, the case may come to the European Court of Human Rights.  Eventually, if no satisfactory explanation is provided, I will report the matter to the Committee of Ministers, and it will be to the member states’ governments to decide on whether and how they want to react.  But at the end of the day, what is really important is what Poland does to honour its word to the Council of Europe and to its own citizens - not in response to external pressure – but out of Poles’ own sense of honesty and self-respect.  As a friend of Poland for more than 60 years, I have no doubt that a country I like and admire will do the right thing and dispel any doubts about its commitment to freedom, tolerance and human rights.