Polish socialist deputy justice minister announces amendments to penal code targeting so-called "hate speech"

By lauraharris // 2024-01-23

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Poland's newly elected deputy justice minister has announced an upcoming amendment to the penal code to address instances of so-called hate speech directed at certain social categories like gender identity, sexual orientation, age and disability. In a recent interview on Polish-language media, Deputy Minister Krzysztof Smiszek of the socialist New Left party, who is himself gay, described a "fairly simple" legislative process that has allowed the new government to work on new "hate speech" regulation, which will be finalized by the end of February following inter-ministerial consultations in the Sejm, the Polish parliament. (Related: Michigan House of Representatives passes bill that makes “misgendering” a HATE CRIME.) Smiszek stated that the amendments would align with existing laws in most other European Union member states. The penalty range for hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender will be consistent with those regulating hate speech based on race and ethnicity. These amendments are being passed as part of the requirements in the agreement signed by the Civic Coalition, New Left and Third Way, the three parties that form the governing coalition in the Sejm. The agreement explicitly states a commitment to equality, asserting that sexual orientation and gender should not be grounds for discrimination. The agreement further outlines a priority to combat so-called hate speech and actions. "We are all equal, and sexual orientation and gender cannot be a reason for discrimination. The fight against hate speech and acts will be our priority. We will amend the penal code so that hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender will be prosecuted ex officio," the announcement read.

Opposition politicians warned the public over proposed "hate speech" penalties

According to a November 2023 report from Do Rzeczy, members of the conservative political party the Confederation Liberty and Independence, including elected officials Konrad Berkowicz, Michal Wawer and Roman Fritz, came out against strengthening legal penalties for so-called hate speech. They warned that such measures would stifle freedom of speech and lead to Poland turning into a dystopia. Berkowicz drew parallels between the current political climate in Poland and George Orwell's classic dystopian novel "1984." He emphasized the danger of introducing a concept akin to "thoughtcrime," where expressing views contrary to the ruling ideology could result in criminal prosecution. "Poland is becoming more dangerous than before. Unfortunately, this is no longer futurology because it is becoming Polish reality," warned Berkowicz. He criticized the ambiguous nature of "hate speech," arguing that the Polish language tradition does not recognize such a term and questioned who would define it. "In practice, this means nothing more than criminal prosecution for expressing views that are inconsistent with a specific ideology that is close to the new coalition that will probably rule soon," added Berkowicz. "This is obvious censorship, an obvious attack on freedom of speech and obvious, creeping totalism. This is so obvious that even former activists of the new coalition parties … are outraged by it and say that there is no such thing as 'hate speech.'" Fritz, the treasurer of the Confederation and an activist for the National Movement, cited examples from Western countries where similar regulations were in force. He expressed concern that these measures aimed to train Poles not to voice their true opinions, creating an atmosphere of self-censorship. "The world has turned upside down. These absurdities are being smuggled into the penal code. I appeal to every sensible Pole to look at this from a distance and say: maybe enough of all this, let's deal with the problems that Poland is struggling with," urged Fritz. The Confederation politicians concluded the conference by reiterating their unwavering opposition to any encroachment on freedom of speech and calling for a reevaluation of the proposed regulations, emphasizing the importance of addressing the pressing issues facing the country instead.

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Watch this video about a similar proposal in California that seeks to punish parents who misgender their children. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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Opposition politicians warned the public over proposed "hate speech" penalties

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