At the Dwor Artusa in Gdańsk on Wednesday evening (August 5), two events with opposing views on migration and tolerance took place simultaneously. On the steps of the building, a silent protest titled “Nie dla nienawiści. Tak dla solidarności” was held, while a few meters away, representatives of the organization Młodzież Wszechpolska gathered with an opposing message.
The solidarity action was organized due to the terrorist attack in Berlin on July 25, when a car drove into a crowd of participants at the LGBT pride event. As a result, a woman was killed, dozens of people were injured, and the attacker was shot by the police the next day.
The organizers expressed support for the victims of the attack, as well as for everyone in Poland facing manifestations of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia
A representative of the Nowa Lewica party, Cyprian Mżigłud, stated that the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments is linked to the increasing influence of the far-right and the spread of their rhetoric. According to him, the left should not adapt to populist sentiments, even if it leads to political losses
Paulina Hendrysiak zauważyła, że incydenty agresji na polskich ulicach zdarzają się regularnie, a przyczyny ataków często związane są z narodowością lub akcentem danej osoby.
Krzysztof Kosek stated that the problem is exacerbated by the lack of real accountability for hate speech. As an example, he mentioned the case of Grzegorz Braun and emphasized that the country needs stricter laws that provide for punishment for such statements
At the same time, a counter-protest by Młodzież Wszechpolska took place next to the Nowa Lewica event. Its organizer, Tomasz Chlasta, called the event a response to the demonstration. He spoke out against mass migration and stated that European countries should maintain cultural and ethnic homogeneity
Tomasz Chlasta made an exception for Ukrainians
“These are undoubtedly Europeans, people who are close to us in culture. The fact that we accept them here is a form of assistance, as Ukraine is in a state of war. But that is why we need to encourage and motivate Ukrainians to return to their homeland, so they can participate in its reconstruction and defense.”
In summary, Chlasta stated that the diversity and tolerance that representatives of the left spoke about are, in his opinion, a dead-end path, while ethnic homogeneity is a desirable model for modern Europe.
