Poland | HCRW

Poland regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Several public bodies are involved in monitoring and/or collecting data on hate crimes, primarily the police and the Prosecutor's Office. Hate crime data are regularly published.

There is a high degree of hate crime specialization in both police and prosecutor structures. More than 100 specialist hate crime prosecutors have been appointed, and a network of hate crime co-ordinators was established in the police in 2014. In 2015, following a request by the lower house of parliament, ODIHR provided a legislative review of proposed changes to the Criminal Code of Poland, including on hate crime provisions.

In 2023, Polish police participated in a three-day train-the-trainer workshop as part of ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE). In 2018, the Ministry of the Interior, ODIHR and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency co-organized a workshop on understanding and improving hate crime recording and data collection based on ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT) programme. In 2019, ODIHR co-operated with the Commissioner for Human Rights in Poland to issue a report on the nature and scale of unreported hate crimes against members of selected communities in Poland.

A draft bill is being developed to amend the Penal Code to strengthen criminal law protection against criminal discriminatory grounds for conduct on the basis of disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2012 hate crime report for Poland

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	893	386	296
2022	1,180	440	312
2021	997	466	339
2020	826	374	266
2019	972	432	597
2018	1117	397	315
2017	886	320	260
2016	874	281	236
2015	263	229	195
2014	778	179	127
2013	757	116	53
2012	266	76	39
2011	222	43	24
2010	251	30	28
2009	194	29	27

About 2012 Data

Two sets of data are reported to ODIHR: The overall number of hate crimes is provided by the police and broken down by type of crime but not by bias motivation (it is presented as “unspecified” bias motivation below). Ministry of Interior reports a number of hate crimes disaggregated by bias motivation, but not by crime type. Most of the cases reported by the Ministry of Interior are included in the overall figure (although due to technical limitation, they are also displayed separately below). Reported data include crimes of incitement to hatred.

Download official data

National developments

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Poland completed an in-depth analysis of recent investigations and prosecutions in cases of offences committed on the internet and involving racial, national, ethnic, or religious bias. The aim of the analysis was to identify shortcomings and develop methodology to address them. The findings revealed that a significant part of these cases is discontinued or investigation not initiated by the prosecutors due to non-detection of a perpetrator or due to perceived lack of features of a criminal act. The report on findings was disseminated among prosecutors in the country. Some of the examined cases were also followed-up on as a result of the analysis.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Poland has not reported on hate crimes separately from cases of hate speech.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Developments

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

In Poland and Ukraine, the Never Again Association implemented the UEFA Euro 2012 Social Responsibility Program called “Respect Diversity”, which involved various anti-racial awareness-raising activities before and during the European Championship.

Reports

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The Never Again Association reported 21 physical assaults, including two resulting in serious injury, eight of which were carried out by a group and three involving weapons such as knives, baseball bats, bottles and chains; three cases of vandalism and damage to property, two of which were associated with celebrating anti-racism and Africa Day events; one case of arson against a Chechen family’s flat, with the father and five children inside; and one case of the desecration of graves, at the Ostrołęka Soviet cemetery in Northeastern Poland.

Anti-Roma hate crime

The Never Again Association reported one case of attempted arson against several Roma homes; one case of property damage against a car; two cases of public threats by a group against Roma families; and seven physical assaults, including one resulting in serious injury and four carried out by a group. Three attacks involved the perpetrators breaking into the houses of Roma families, with children present.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Never Again Association reported two cases of vandalism and/or damage to property, ten cases of desecration of cemeteries, one case of threats against the leader of the Jewish community in Warsaw, eight incidents of graffiti on property and one incident of desecration of a synagogue.

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

The Never Again Association reported one incident of damage to the property of an Orthodox cemetery and one incident of graffiti on the walls of an Evangelical cemetery.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The Campaign Against Homophobia reported three cases of damage to property, including one involving excrement being smeared on a car that displayed a rainbow sticker, an incident that also involved threats to a gay couple and against an art installation in Warsaw city centre; as well as three physical assaults, including one against a gay couple by two perpetrators, one against a group of people traveling to Warsaw Pride events and a serious attack by a group against two men.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, encouraged Poland to consider strengthening legislation on hate crimes, institute a national mechanism on hate crime data collection, and to ensure immediate, adequate and independent investigations of racially motivated crimes.

It also recommended that Poland strengthen measures to prevent racist violence, especially against people of African origin.

Anti-Roma hate crime

The Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, recommended that Poland strengthen measures to prevent racist violence, especially against Roma people.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, encouraged Poland to enact public-awareness campaigns and government training on discrimination and hate crimes in order to decrease anti-Semitism.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, recommended that Poland strengthen measures to prevent racist violence, especially against Muslims.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, encouraged Poland to recognize sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds for discrimination and hate crimes and for law enforcement to do outreach with LGBT communities in order to increase reporting of hate crimes.