The Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, does not want religious symbols in the capital offices. This is stated in his ordinance issued last week regarding "Standards of equal treatment in the Capital City Office." Officials are also expected to use inclusive language and gender-neutral expressions. They will also not be allowed to display religious symbols on their desks.
All of this, the discrimination of people of faith, is a part of the fight against discrimination.
As the city hall spokeswoman emphasized, Warsaw is the first city in Poland to introduce this type of regulation.
Mayor Trzaskowski's decision caused outrage.
"Just as I am obliged to respect a person who does not believe, someone must respect the fact that we believe, and this is guaranteed by the Constitution," said Michał Wójcik, an MP from Sovereign Poland. The politician announced that his party would take this matter to the courts.
We, as Sovereign Poland, are categorically opposed to this. I think that all right-wing formations do not agree to it, because it is a brutal violation of the rights and freedoms that are enshrined in the Constitution in Article 53, - he announced.
He recalled that "the Supreme Court, many years ago, and the Constitutional Tribunal and the European Court of Human Rights made many rulings on this topic."
BTW, Poland's population is mostly Catholic. According to the 2021 census, 71.3% of all Polish citizens adhere to the Roman Catholic Church, with 6.9% identifying as having no religion and 20.6% refusing to answer.
Rafał Trzaskowski is/was a very serious contender for the office of Polish president. I would say: Good luck with that.
- Based on reporting by Dorzeczy, Niezalezna, and Wpolityce.
