Poland

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. 

Hate crime data collection in Poland
Support for hate crime victims in Poland
Hate crime capacity building in Poland
Poland's hate crime legislation
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.

Hate crime recorded by police

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 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.