Polish weekly newspaper Gazeta Polska announced on July 17 that it will give away ‘LGBT-free zone’ stickers with its next issue, depicting a black cross over a rainbow. The newspaper is openly supportive of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) and appeals to a conservative, right-wing readership.
The move has caused an understandable outcry, and has been labelled by many as homophobic, intolerant and even Hitler-esque. The deputy mayor of Warsaw, PaweΕ Rabiej, said that βthe German fascists created zones free of Jewsβ, adding that he would make a complaint to the public prosecutors office.Β
The US ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher also registered disapproval.
“I am disappointed and concerned that some groups use stickers to promote hatred and intolerance,β she tweeted on July 18. βWe respect freedom of speech, but we must stand together on the side of values such as diversity and tolerance.β
Rival newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza came out in support of the LGBT community. βPoland is for all its citizens. No one has the right to designate exclusion zones for any reason. There is no consent for a new apartheid. Defend human and citizen rights.β
Instagram removed Gazeta Polskaβs post about the stickers citing it as hate speech, yet the newspaper shows no signs of backing down.Β
Speaking live on Telewizja Republika the editor of the paper Tomasz Sakiewicz argued: βThe symbol of LGBT today is beginning to be associated with what a sickle and hammer or swastika was.Β Perhaps they are motivated by good intentions.Β Communists also had good intentions.Β Very often behind good ideas are good intentions.β He later stated that rather than showing intolerance, the stickers in fact promote tolerance of βtraditional Polish valuesβ which are being threatened by the LGBT movement. βThis label is a sign of opposition not to specific people, but to a radically leftist ideology reconciling the family and values on which European civilisation has been based for centuries.β
The newspaper, which has a circulation of around 110,000, will hit vendors on July 24.Β
[…] This comes after a series of homophobic events that shook the Polish community, such as Gazeta Polskaβs ‘LGBT free-zoneβ stickers and malicious comments made by politicians such as Jaroslaw KaczyΕski, leader of the ruling Law […]
[…] after government-backed newspaper Gazeta Polska was met with international criticism after announcing a plan to distribute LGBT-free zone stickers in its issue on July […]