In Poland a Group of Right Wing Nationalists Destroy LGBTQ Display Street for Pride

 

 

A group of men believed to be right-wing nationalists descended on an LGBTQ street fair in Poland, ripping up rainbow colored umbrellas and frightening those in attendance. 

The event was organized by Lambda Szczecin, a local LGBTQ organization, on Sunday, less than two weeks before Szczecin is set to hold its first ever Pride. A video posted to the Facebook page for a documentary called Artykuł Osiemnasty (Article 18), about the lack of marriage equality in Poland, shows three men, who are described in the caption as “National Patriots,” destroying property and getting into a verbal altercation with a man who confronted them for their actions. 

The video asks anyone who recognizes the homophobic bigots to come forward with information. Lambda Warsaw shared a picture from the event after the hooligans began their destructive and chaotic action, calling on everyone to attend the Pride event on September 15.

“We will be there with our huge rainbow flag,” the post reads. 

“We will also help to ensure the safety of LGBT people in Szczecin,” it goes on. “At the end of September, we will conduct training for violence victims from West Pomeranian and surrounding areas. It will increase the number of places where LGBT people can safely report violence.”

In addition to not being able to marry, same-sex couples in the country also cannot adopt, and there are no protections against discrimination in housing. Violence against the LGBTQ community has reached such a level in Poland that Amnesty International has urged the country to take hate crimes there seriously.