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.
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 2016 Data
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Police, prosecution and sentencing figures include cases of hate speech.
Hate crime recorded by police
The numbers presented here refer to police investigations initiated as hate crimes. The numbers also include incidents of hate speech, which are considered crimes under Polish penal law.
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR observes that Poland has not reported on hate crimes separately from cases of hate speech.
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
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Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR in Poland
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Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR in Poland
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR in Poland
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-01 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Attacks against property | UNHCR in Poland
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Show info |
| 2016-01 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Threats | Open Dialog Foundation
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-03 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-07 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Threats | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-08 | Threats | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-01 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR in Poland
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-08 | Violent attacks against people | SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Violent attacks against people | SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-03 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Threats | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
Anti-Roma hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-08 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
Anti-Semitic hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
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Show info |
| 2016-12 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-10 | Attacks against property | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
Anti-Muslim hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
SETA
UNHCR in Poland
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Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | SETA
UNHCR in Poland
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Show info |
| 2016-01 | Attacks against property | SETA
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR in Poland
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Show info |
| 2016-09 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
Anti-Christian hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-05 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-06 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-05 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-01 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-05 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
|
Show info |
| 2016-12 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-09 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
|
Show info |
| 2016-01 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-02 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-11 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-04 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-08 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-10 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-10 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Attacks against property | Holy See
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Show info |
| 2016-02 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-12 | Attacks against property | Ordo Iuris Institute
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Show info |
| 2016-06 | Attacks against property | Jehovah's Witnesses
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Show info |
Anti-LGBTI hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-03 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
ILGA-Europe
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-09 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-03 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-05 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-07 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-07 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-08 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-11 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-12 | Violent attacks against people | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-03 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
ILGA-Europe
Lambda Warsaw
UNHCR in Poland
|
Show info |
| 2016-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
| 2016-04 | Attacks against property | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
ILGA-Europe
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Threats | Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH)
Lambda Warsaw
|
Show info |
| 2016-02 | Threats | "Never Again" Association
|
Show info |
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
In its "Concluding observations on the fourth report of Poland," the United Nations Human Rights Committee recommended that the authorities should amend the Criminal Code to make bias motivation an aggravating circumstance for any crime, and to thoroughly investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of hate crimes.
Anti-Semitic hate crime
The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chair-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, in his report on a country visit to Poland, commended the authorities for developing an operational relationship with ODIHR, recommending this relationship as a best practice for all participating States.
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-LGBTI hate crime, Disability hate crime
In the framework of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed concern that Poland's criminal code did not include disability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity as bias motivations for hate crimes. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Poland amend its criminal code to make any racial motivation for a crime an aggravating circumstance.
In its report, the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Poland, recommended that the criminal code be amended to include sexual orientation, gender identity and disability among the protected characteristics listed in its hate crime provisions.