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Civic interventions

• Intervention of OR regarding the hateful statements of internet users on the webpage of Polish Radio

  02.11.2010
  In connection with the fact that in the discussions of the internet users on the webpage of Polish Radio the hateful statements of the racist and xenophobic nature appear on a regular basis, we sent an appeal to the Ethics Commission of the Polish Radio to remove such statements and to properly moderate the discussions. After our intervention, certain statements of this kind were removed.

• OR notification of commitment of an offence

  03.09.2010
  In connection with publication on the webpage of Judeopolonia portal of a release of Polonijne Stowarzyszenie Patriotów Narodu Polskiego, which offends a group of Jewish population, we sent a notification on the commitment of an offence, which is persecuted ex officio to the District Prosecutor’s Office Warszawa Śródmieście. Anti-Semitic message of this release is obvious. "If no organized political organization is established in Poland, which would be free from manipulation by Jews and if it does not stop the course of events that is disastrous for Poland, in 10 - 15 years Poles will be farmhands in their own country" – we read on Judeopolonia webpage.

• OR intervention in Przemyśl

  30.07.2010
  In connection with the press information on technical negligence in Zasańska Synagogue located at Plac Unii Brzeskiej 6 in Przemyśl, we applied to the President of the City Robert Choma for taking the appropriate steps in this respect. It follows from this press release that in 2005 the city sold this facility to a private entrepreneur Robert Błażkowski, and that the current negligence on the part of the owner regarding this historical monument are qualified as an offence pursuant to the Act of 23 July 2003 on Protection of Historical Monuments. AS we agree with this interpretation, we asked the President the aforementioned transaction between the office and the entrepreneur, which- according to the press release – was conducted with omission of the Regulatory Commission for Jewish Religious Communities, will be covered by the prosecutor’s examination.

• OR intervention regarding profanation of the Jewish prayer house in Żary

  25.06.2010
  In connection with the press information that the fascist vandals painted a swastika sign on the building belonging to Lubulskie branch of the Jewish Social and Cultural Society in Poland, we asked the Mayer of Żary, Roman Pogorzelec for the information, if the City Office took care about the removal of writings and repair of damages. We also asked in our letter whether the authorities took steps aimed at preventing manifestations of xenophobia in the future. We also applied to the District Prosecutor in Żary, Barbara Neneman-Szachnowska for an examination whether this act does not exhaust the features of offence pursuant to Article 256 of the Penal Code (propagating fascist and totalitarianism).

• OR’s intervention on the theft of historical tombstones

  21.05.2010
  In connection with the theft of historical tombstones from the Jewish cemetery in Radość, the Open Republic asked the Head of Warszawa Wawer Police Station, inspector Krzysztof Kawka what actions did the police take on this.

• Neo-pagan Zadruga loses in Wrocław

  The local government of Wrocław once again refused the neo-pagan association Zadruga the consent for organizing a public celebration fearing the repetition of events from March 2007, when Zadruga presented itself at the Wrocław Market Square together with NOP {national Rebirth of Poland] with the racist and nationalist slogans.

• OR intervenes about the anti-Semitic writings on the door of the seat of ŻOOM

  Anti-Semitic writings and a swastika appeared on the door of Żydowska Ogólnopolska Organizacja Młodzieżowa [Jewish Nationwide Youth Organization]. Open Republic approached the police and asked for presentation of steps taken about this incident.

• OR files a notification of inciting national hatred by Z. Nowak

  At the end of July, the Association received signals that the webpage of Zbigniew Nowak contains anti-Semitic and xenophobic statements. Open Republic filed notification about it with the Regional Prosecutor’s Office Warszawa Śródmieście.

• Charges for the members of ONR are ready

  In Zakopane nationalists connected with ONR are accused of conducting an anti-Semitic campaign against the counter-candidate of PiS for the position of the major of Zakopane during the last local government elections.

• After the intervention of OR regarding the passive attitude of the Wrocław police

  The Internal Commission of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław stated that on March 21, 2007 during the demonstration organized in the Market Square by the members of Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski and the Nationalist Association Zadruga the police was wrong not to react to the promotion of racism, which is prohibited by the Penal Code.

• Refusal to institute investigation re: the brochure “War of Civilizations in Europe by Maciej Giertych and the comment of OR

  On June 6, 2007, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw decided to refuse to institute investigation on the brochure published by Maciej Giertych in February 2007, which, in OR’s opinion, contains anti-Semitic and xenophobic content and calls for hatred, thus, being a proof of an offence stipulated in Art 256 and 257 of the Penal Code. [see: Pottering]

• Investigation re: passive attitude of the Wrocław police

  As a result of intervention of OR the Wrocław Prosecutor’s Office instituted an investigation regarding the passive attitude of the police during the racist demonstration on March 21 in the Market Square.

• Letter to the Minister of the Interior after ONR march in Krakow

  OR sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior asking for explanation why the demonstration of the National Radical Camp, which took place in Krakow on April 14, was not dissolved in spite of the fact that its participants most probably committed an offence.

• Letter to Minister Dorn re: actions of the police

  In December, we sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior and Administration and to the Chief of the Police Main Headquarters in connection with the conduct of the police toward the student, who tried to intervene against selling the anti-Semitic publications during the official ceremony of unveiling the monument of Dmowski in Warsaw and in connection with the passive attitude of the police toward the activists of Narodowe Odrodzenia Polski, who disturbed the ceremony commemorating the victims of the Crystal Night pogrom in Wrocław. We were informed that the case is being examined.

• The case of Eugeniusz Temkin

  In June we alerted the public opinion and the police about persecution of Temkin family at the Warsaw district of Ursynow, which resulted in the media interest and next, police actions defending the family against the hooligans.

• Anti-Semitic feature of Stanisław Michalkiewicz in Radio Maryja

  In April 2006 (thanks to quick information from Rafał Maszkowski about the anti-Semitic feature of Stanisław Michalkiewicz broadcast by Radio Maryja) we filed a notification on the offence with the Prosecutor’s Office in Toruń.