The Sermon on “Jewish passivity” was not antysemitic – priest Międlar has appealed to the Bible. ONR did not incitimate to “hanging Zionists”, though it is heard on the recordings. Neo-Nazis did not celebrate under burning swastika, but under Slavonic Symbol. All the mentioned justifications come from the same prosecutors – The District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Białystok.

Międlar’s case was closed together with ONR shouts “On trees instead of leaves, will be hanging Zionists”, which were recorded by TVN24.In the meanwhile, Prosecutor Czeszkiewicz stated that the recording prove that the words have been shouted. When Open Republic and few other persons filed the complaints against the decision, the prosecution did not approve them because they were filed by “unauthorized persons”.

We filed our complaints twice. Twice we were answered that we are not the party in the case. Before PiS was elected, the prosecution used to apply us the status of the victim in the case – says Paula Sawicka, head of the Program Board of Association Against Anti-Semitism And Xenophobia Open Republic, which has fought with antisemitism and racism since 1999.

– I think it is not the matter of changing the approach, but the matter of selection of prosecutors – says Paula Sawicka from Open Republica – The problem of “roman greetings”, “swastika as a symbol of happiness” is not new. There were always prosecutors who in those king of actions saw unimportant and marginal tomfoolery. There were also others, with the views full of stereotypes and prejudice. It is the politic situation in Poland that has changed. Today new authorities select the investigators, who only need a permission in advance for such behaviour. They do not need to be encouraged to be intolerant or blind and deaf  to the hate crimes. – she says. Why are they given the permission? – It is possible that  the authorities do not want to discourage the authors of such hateful behaviour. It is possible that the authorities count on them to join its side and attack its opponents. Hate speech becomes a weapon in the political fight – adds Sawicka.

More in the article by Joanna Klimowicz and Łukasz Woźnicki in Gazeta Wyborcza.