A series of attacks on KPH

“This is the third attack on the Campaign Against Homophobia  during the recent weeks. In the 15-year history of our organisation, we have never been attacked so frequently”- says Mirosława Makuchowska, the Vice President of Camaign Against Homophobia (KPH), commenting on the incidents, which resulted in breaking the windows of the KPH’s office. According to her, recent developments in Poland are to be blamed on politicians, who are giving consent to such behaviour by their actions.

 This is the third attack on KPH’s office in last month. Fist attack took place on 3^rd of March, when three young men tried to break into the premises of the KPH, shouting offensive terms to the employees of the organisation. On the night of April 23th, unknown perpetrators broke the window pane of the KPH’s office.It’s worth noting that the Campaign Against Homophobia is not the only non-governmental organisation in Poland, which has been attacked recently. In March, unknown perpetrators threw a brick at the windows of Lambda Warszawa, which also works for LGBT human rights in Poland. According to Mirosława Makuchowska, these incidents are linked to the overall political situation in the country.

„I am confident that the repeated acts of aggression towards LGBT organizations are linked to the activities of PiS and the language they use towards vulnerable groups. Using phrases such as ‘the worst kind’ or ‘second-class people’ certainly encourages violence. We should also keep in mind that ‘the worst kind’ applies not only to LGBT organisations or feminists but to anyone who is not a supporter of PiS.”

Few weeks ago, 340 polish civil society organisations (CSOs) have sent an appeal to Prime Minister Beata Szydło to condemn the attacks on human right defenders and CSOs. However, governmental officials remained silent about the attacks.

As the incidents get frequent and more serious, KPH has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of the damages. For supporting the cause, please donate through the following link.