In an open letter, 50 diplomats from countries all over the world criticised the Polish government and the current situation of the queer community in the European country. They recalled that universal human rights should be available to every citizen. The Polish Foreign Minister rejected the accusations and spoke of #fakenews.

Among the signatories are the ambassadors of almost all EU member states based in Poland as well as countries from other continents. These include nations of the Americas such as Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, the USA and Canada. From Asia, India, Japan and Israel have joined. Australia, New Zealand and, as the only representative of the African continent, South Africa are also among them. Also: representatives of the European Commission and the UNHCR in Poland.

US Ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan in Warsaw, Poland

The letter was published on Sunday by US Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher via the social network Twitter. The letter, coordinated by the Belgian Embassy in Poland, underlines that the signatories took the corona-related cancellation of the Polish Pride Parade as an opportunity to express their support for the queer community and other minorities in Poland – to raise public awareness of their situation.

“We pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTI and other communities in Poland and around the world and to the work of all those who work to ensure the human rights of LGBTI and others […]”.

Paweł Jabłoński

The letter reaffirms the inherent dignity of every human being, which would be expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Respect for the fundamental rights of the European community of values would oblige all governments to protect each of their citizens equally against violence and discrimination and to ensure equal opportunities for all, including members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

“To this end, and especially to protect vulnerable communities from verbal and physical abuse and hate speech, we must work together to create an environment of non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual acceptance”.

No insight from Poland

Following the publication of the letter, Poland’s Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński showed, through his reply to Twitter, how much work still has to be done before the queer community is accepted as an equal part of the country. The 34-year-old was not aware of any guilt – in a series of tweets he declared that Poland was committed to the dignity of every human being.

He was also delighted that the letter did not mention “LGBT-free zones” – as these would not exist in Poland. These are #fakenews, the politician said. Mr Jablonski seems to have forgotten that since last year more than 90 municipalities have signed the resolution in which they classified themselves as free of LGBTIQ+ ideology in order to protect children and families.

Moreover, completely ignoring the issue, he explained that the Polish constitution finally defines marriage solely as a union between man and woman – what exactly this has to do with the systematic and sometimes violent discrimination against the queer community in Poland, or to what extent it even justifies it, he left open.

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