Poland continued with the implementation of ODIHR’s law-enforcement training programme on hate crimes, resulting in a total of 115 expert trainers on hate crime by the end of 2011. Local training sessions on hate crimes also continued, bringing the total number of police officers trained on hate crimes to 38,000. These also included the national launch and distribution to police officers of leaflets on hate crime and common hate symbols.
On the basis of an audit review concerning criminal cases based on racism or xenophobia, the Preparatory Proceedings Office of General Prosecutor’s Office conducted an analysis of hate crimes and outlined methodological guidelines for prosecutors who lead or supervise preparatory proceedings in hate crime cases. This analysis was sent to all appeals prosecutor’s offices with a request to further distribute it to subordinate prosecution units.
Official law-enforcement figures record 222 hate crimes without specifying underlying bias. The number includes two homicides, 105 physical assaults, 81 threats and 34 attacks against places of worship.
Never Again reported one case of damage to property involving a car, and two cases of physical assault against football players of African descent.
The Kantor Center reported one case of graffiti on a Holocaust memorial.
The Campaign Against Homophobia reported one case of homophobic graffiti on a car owned by a gay man; one threat against a woman at an LGBT event in Warsaw; four physical assaults, including two in a domestic setting, one on a tram, and one involving serious injury against a man leaving a gay-friendly club; and a series of assaults at gay pride events in Wroclaw, Łódź and Kraków involving physical assaults and objects being thrown at participants.