|
(Brussels) The European Union has issued a stern
warning to Poland's new president not to try to limit the rights of gays and
lesbians.
Polish voters last weekend elected Warsaw mayor
Lech Kaczynski to be the country's new president. (story)
Last month Kaczynski's ultra conservative Law and Justice Party, controlled by
his twin brother, won control of Parliament.
The
European Commission said it is concerned about Kaczynski's history of homophobia
and said that if he
continues to oppose gay rights Poland risks losing its voting rights in the EU.
The commission in a strongly worded letter
reminded Kaczynski that all member states must abide by European Union
regulations which protect minorities. If, Poland refuses, the letter said, the
EU would invoke the Treaty of Nice
which deprives member states of their voting rights for refusal to comply with
the Union's constitution.
The letter put Kaczynski on
notice that his government will be closely
monitored.
In June, Kaczynski
refused to grant permission for a gay pride parade in Warsaw.
(story) Nevertheless,
more than 2,500 people ignored the order and marched anyway. (story)
Opponents threw eggs and stones at the marchers, and police
detained 29 people.
A coalition led by Law and
Justice won a majority of seats in Parliament last month.
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, nominated by the Law and Justice
party to lead the next government as prime minister, made it
clear his party would try to roll back any advances made by
Polish gays.
Marcinkiewicz told the Polish
edition of Newsweek magazine that propagating homosexuality
constituted an infringement on the freedom of other people. (story)
``It is unnatural. Family is
natural and the state should safeguard the family,''
Marcinkiewicz said, echoing the views of other leaders of his
conservative party.
``If such a person tries to
infect others with their homosexuality, then the state has to
intervene in such an abuse of freedom,'' he said.
©365Gay.com 2005
|
