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Poland's Justice Minister apologises to the LGBT+ community for the state-caused harm from previous years

03.02.2024 18:13
The December-appointed Justice Minister and Prosecutor General, Adam Bodnar, offered such an apology speaking at an LGBT+ activists meeting on Thursday, Polish Press Agency PAP reported.
Adam Bodnar
Adam BodnarRadek Pietruszka / PAP

"I would like to apologise to you very much for the harm you have suffered from the Polish State" - Bodnar was quoted in a justice ministry press release as saying.

The minister also announced that an amendment to the country's Penal Code is in the works, aimed at enabling more efficient ways to fight against various forms of hate speech and discrimination.

"We appreciate your activism a lot - and we feel obliged to take further action on our side to help you. You can count on maximum support both from the Ministry of Justice, and from me as the Prosecutor General" - Bodnar added.

The minister said that "times had changed politically" - and everything that had happened in the previous eight-year rule of the socially conservative Law and Justice party had left the new government with a "gigantic responsibility to put things right".

The previous government was often criticised for its hostile attitude towards the sexual minorities - and had numerous disputes with the EU institutions over the issue.

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Source: PAP