The appeal, released to the media on Monday, comes in the wake of a wave of anti-immigrant marches in Polish cities, state news agency PAP reported.
According to Roman Kwiatkowski, head of Poland's Roma Association, Romani families in several areas have been warned by neighbors not to leave their homes due to the perceived risk of violence.
Kwiatkowski called on the prime minister to take decisive action against what he described as a growing campaign of hostility toward people with different skin colors, nationalities, languages and cultures.
"We are aware that the anti-immigrant marches sweeping through Polish cities are being exploited for political gain,” he said. “Unfortunately, following these events, we are receiving reports that Roma are being told by neighbors to stay off the streets due to a real risk of assault and a climate of fear.”
He argued that the Roma community wants to feel safe in its own country, and that it is the duty of law enforcement agencies to ensure the protection of every individual against violence and discrimination.
Kwiatkowski also condemned public statements by politicians who he said encourage xenophobia while downplaying its social consequences.
He cited, in particular, a controversial remark by Krzysztof Bosak, a leading figure in the far-right Confederation party, who was quoted by the oko.press media outlet as saying that “xenophobia must be nurtured.”
According to Kwiatkowski, such statements fuel extremist attitudes and pose a tangible threat to society.
He pointed out that under Poland’s criminal code, inciting hatred on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, or race is punishable by up to three years in prison.
He stressed that all forms of discrimination, xenophobia and racism require firm opposition.
“We are appealing for a clear and strong signal from the authorities that there is no place in Poland for discrimination, racism or xenophobia,” Kwiatkowski said, “and that the state will consistently protect all citizens from hate crimes and prosecute those who promote or incite such behavior.”
Only a united and determined stance from the government, state agencies and society at large, he added, can restore a sense of safety and dignity to every resident of the country.
The statement follows nationwide anti-immigrant demonstrations on Saturday organized by the Confederation party.
During those protests, party leaders called for Poland to be closed to undocumented immigration, for deportation campaigns, and for soldiers to be granted the right to use firearms against those crossing the border illegally.
In the southern city of Katowice, the demonstration was joined by groups of football supporters wearing club colors and covering their faces. Participants shouted anti-immigrant and anti-government slogans, some of them vulgar, according to media reports.
The Roma Association’s appeal also echoed growing concern from other communities.
On Monday, rectors from six universities in Poland's southern Silesia region issued a joint statement warning that tolerance of hate speech could threaten the safety of legal foreign students and staff.
In the southwestern city of Wrocław, the provincial governor, regional authorities and mayors of the largest cities in the Lower Silesia region publicly condemned xenophobic behavior and acts of aggression toward migrants.
A leading representative of Poland’s Vietnamese community has warned that rising anti-immigration sentiment and increasingly hostile language could lead to social divisions and discrimination against long-established migrant communities.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP
Click on the audio player icons above to listen to two separate reports by Ada Janiszewska and Michał Owczarek.