“Hate speech directed at LGBT persons, including by senior politicians, the mobilization of extremist groups, occasionally in conjunction with racist football supporters’ associations or foreign nationalist groups and manifestations of racism at sports events all help trivialize and disseminate racism and intolerance,” the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said.
The ECRI welcomed efforts by Polish authorities to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination and increasing the effectiveness of judicial procedures relating to racist crimes. However, the body stressed that deep-rooted cultural intolerance in the country continues to be a concern.
The Commission required local authorities to rapidly take further legislative steps in order to address racism and discrimination in Poland.
