Krakow leads solidarity marches
Peaceful marches of solidarity with gays are to be staged in a number of Polish cities this weekend. Demonstrations in solidarity with Poznan, where police were brought in to break up a peaceful “March for Equality” last weekend, are to be staged in Elblag, Gdansk , Katowice, Krakow, Lodz, Poznan, Rzeszow, Torun, Wroclaw and the capital, Warsaw.
The events last weekend in Poznan have rocked many in Poland – and beyond. Authorities in Gdansk, the city where Lech Walesa founded the Solidarity movement, have already banned the march, giving as the reason the mis-spelling of a street in the city in the written application. The only cities to have approved are Elblag and Krakow where the city’s mayor said he was not going to ban it as a ban would be contrary to the country’s constitution.
In Warsaw, no decision has yet been announced. Lech Kaczynski, recently elected as Poland's President has already banned two Gay Pride parades in the city, while letting counter demonstrations organised by far-right and Polish Youth go ahead on the same day.