POLISH CONTEXT Talking About Taboos Kick-Off Meeting, November 20 th -22 nd, 2013 Elan Interculturel-Paris, France CITIZEN PROJECT FOUNDATION

SOURCES ECRI CONCLUSIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN RESPECT OF POLAND SUBJECT TO INTERIM FOLLOW-UP (2013) ECRI REPORT ON POLAND (2010)

EXISTING ISSUES (2010)  Discrimination in employment, housing, law enforcement  Antisemitism – JEWISH POLISH AND JEWISH IN GENERAL oTacitly accepted by a media group belonging to a Catholic organization [Rydzyk] oTacitly Accepted by MAINSTREAM political parties [PiS]  Racist behavior by football fans  Websites and publications encourage ethnic and religious hatred  Right wing organizations active  Instances of racist violence  Not always adequate response by the authorities  Roma – low school attendance  Limited social rights illegals  Integration refugees and asylum-seekers not always facilitated  Non-citizens are treated differently oBureaucratic difficulties oNot all children attain school [source :

LEGISLATION REQUEST (2010) In its report on Poland (fourth monitoring cycle) published on 15 June 2010, ECRI recommended that the Government present comprehensive legislation against discrimination, drawing inspiration from its General Policy Recommendation No. 7, to Parliament as soon as possible. Responsibility for this legislative initiative should rest with a single Governmental entity, which should consult NGOs. [source :

POLISH GOVERNMENT REACTION (1) According to ECRI an independent body is entrusted with all the powers which the specialised body for combating racism and racial discrimination should come into existence (2013 "Conclusions ECRI on the implementation of major Recommendation (Report 2010) formulated to Poland". BUT: Responsible for attending to the problem of discrimination and intolerance according to the conclusions of the European Monitoring Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) became: Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment - Ms. Dr. Agnieszka Kozlowska- Rajewicz ( traktowaniahttp://rownetraktowanie.gov.pl/pelnomocnik-rzadu-do-spraw-rownego- traktowania Human Rights Defender – Ms. Dr. Irena Lipowicz

POLISH GOVERNMENT REACTION (2) The authorities of Poland have informed ECRI that Article 18 of ADA entrusts the Human Rights Defender and the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment with the task of “implementing the principle of equal treatment”. BUT: – The Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatments is not an independent body; – The Human Rights Defender is not competent for disputes between private entities, even in cases of racial discrimination. – The Human Rights Defender has established an Antidiscrimination Law Division. Nevertheless, she has not been allocated any additional financial support for her new tasks (only four staff members). [source :

ECRI ON LEGISLATION legislation against discrimination –Anti-Discrimination Act – ADA was enacted and entered into force on 1 January 2011; –The Act prohibits discrimination on 10 enumerated grounds (Art. 1 ADA) namely sex, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, denomination, beliefs, disability, age or sexual orientation and it excludes nine areas of life (Art. 5 ADA), whereas the Constitution in Article 32 § 2 contains no such restrictions: “No one shall be discriminated against in political, social or economic life for any reason whatsoever.”; –the adoption of ADA but considers that the act needs to be improved. In general, ECRI welcomes the adoption of ADA but considers that the act needs to be improved. Inter alia, the act should place public authorities under a duty to promote equality and to prevent discrimination in carrying out their functions (cf. GPR No. 7). ECRI, therefore, concludes that its recommendation has been partially implemented. [source :

POLISH FOOTBALL In its report on Poland (fourth monitoring cycle) ECRI recommended that the authorities encourage the Polish Football Association to develop, together with the football clubs, a code of conduct that would address, inter alia, the issue of fans’ racism. Moreover, the authorities should step up their efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of racism in sport. [source :

GOVERNMENT REACTION AND ECRI EVALUATION The authorities of Poland have informed ECRI that work on a “code of conduct” which would apply to football stadiums has started and will be continued. The authorities have further informed that the Ministry of Sport and Tourism (MSiT) launched two national conferences. Directors of most sports associations, including the Polish Football Association (PFA) adopted a declaration on December 2, 2010: "No to racism in sport." The Ministry of Sport and Tourism (MSiT)has implemented preventive measures comprising workshops for coaches and trainers, in particular those working with children and youth on counteracting racism in sport. PFA adopted a resolution prohibiting the display of banners calling for intolerance and xenophobia and issued a booklet. ECRI welcomes the developments and the efforts of the authorities. However it expresses concern about the ongoing racist incidents at Polish sports events and reminds that the code of conduct has not been developed. [source :

MOTIVATION AS TALKING ABOUT TABOOS PARTNER (...) From my personal perspective... Absence of tolerance for differences kills curiosity and openness to diversity. Publicly – f.i. importance politicians - use "zero tolerance“ as the theme of their propaganda. There is no dialogue with reflection on the causes and consequences of non-tolerance. Especially young people for whom a dialogue between generations is difficult are left to the influence of the language of hate on the Internet and the effects of news media focused on sensation.... Is this the case only in Poland?

PROJECT PROPOSAL FOCUS FIRST ON: „AS IS” POINT ZERO - AS IS – Collect through observation and the recording of conversations arguments that describe intolerance and discrimination in the areas of religion, religion, belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, nationality, race and language. SPECIFICALLY: PLACE - Parades and marches associated with the Polish Independence Day - November 11 GROUPS OF RESPONDENTS - Adult participants of the parades and marches ADDITIONAL: "Equality Parade” - June [Warsaw].

TARGET GROUP PROJECT (proposal): Associations and councils of parents, Managers in education [all levels], Teaching staff [all levels], Local government staff, Government officials.