The Ministry of Interior recorded 29 hate crimes and hate incidents motivated by racism and xenophobia.
This number consists of 24 cases categorized by the Ministry of Interior as racist and xenophobic acts, and five cases categorized as against “other minorities”. Data on anti-Semitic attacks and bias against Roma is also recorded and is presented separately.
Not all of these cases are criminal offences, therefore some of them may not be included in the overall number, although generally, the cases reported by the MoI are included in the overall police figure (266).
The Ministry of Interior recorded 7 hate crimes and hate incidents motivated by bias against Roma and Sinti.
Not all of these cases are criminal offences, therefore some of them may not be included in the overall number, although generally, the cases reported by the MoI are included in the overall police figure (266).
The Ministry of Interior recorded 21 hate crimes and hate incidents motivated by anti-Semitism.
Not all of these cases are criminal offences, therefore some of them may not be included in the overall number, although generally, the cases reported by the MoI are included in the overall police figure (266).
The Ministry of Interior recorded 2 hate crimes and hate incidents motivated by anti-religious bias.
Not all of these cases are criminal offences, therefore some of them may not be included in the overall number, although generally, the cases reported by the MoI are included in the overall police figure (266).
The Ministry of Interior recorded 3 hate crimes and hate incidents motivated by bias on the basis of sexual orientation.
Not all of these cases are criminal offences, therefore some of them may not be included in the overall number, although generally, the cases reported by the MoI are included in the overall police figure (266).
Official law-enforcement figures record 266 hate crimes without specifying underlying bias.
The 62 cases reported by the Ministry of Interior, which are displayed above by bias motivation, are mostly included in this overall figure, although for technical reasons they are also presented separately above.
The figure includes 126 physical assaults, 54 cases of attacks against places of worship and 86 cases of threats or threatening behaviour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ODIHR received a direct report of a serious assault against a Senegalese man.
The Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, recommended that Poland strengthen measures to prevent racist violence, especially against Roma people.
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.
The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, recommended that Poland strengthen measures to prevent racist violence, especially against Muslims.
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.
ODIHR observes that Poland has not reported on hate crimes separately from cases of hate speech.