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Description
This project will address the problem of anti-Semitic hate speech in Poland. Since 2015, there has been a political and media smear campaign against a series of social groups, including refugees or for instance LGBT+ people, and each smear campaign of this kind is accompanied by an increase in aggression towards Jews. The 2020 presidential campaign, for instance, featured elements of anti-Semitism. Approximately 10% of all prejudice-motivated crimes reported (2013-2017) were hate crimes against Jews. In recent years, the percentage of hate-related acts reported on the Zgłoś nienawiść/Report Hate portal that were anti-Semitic in nature was as high as 20%. The response on the part of the government and the justice system to the problem of anti-Semitism in Poland is insufficient, and law enforcement agencies do not have the skills to recognize a reported incident as anti-Semitic. Under the project, the Project Promoter will devise, working with experts, a definition of anti-Semitism in the Polish context. It will also produce a guide with examples of anti-Semitic crimes. This information will be disseminated at workshops for public prosecutors and local authorities (approximately 60 people). The Project Promoter will monitor incidents of an anti-Semitic nature and hate speech on its Zgłoś nienawiść/Report Hate portal and report them to the public prosecutor or police. The Project Promoter will also conduct strategic litigation using selected cases of failed protective measures with respect to anti-Semitic hate crime to change law enforcement practices. The outcome of the litigation will be presented in a report. The measures envisaged under the project will be useful to public prosecutors and local government authorities, as they will increase their awareness of anti-Semitic crimes. The institutional problems with anti-Semitism countermeasures will be publicized and discussed. The project is intended to improve the sense of safety of Jewish people in Poland.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the problem of anti-Semitic hate speech. Since 2015, Poland has witnessed a political and media campaign against other social groups, including refugees or LGBT+ people, and each of these campaigns has been accompanied by an increase in aggression against Jews. For example, anti-Semitic themes appeared in the 2020 presidential campaign. Hate crimes against Jews accounted for around 10% of all reported bias-motivated crimes (2013-2017). In recent years, up to 20% of reported hate crimes on the Report Hate portal run by the Project Promoter have been anti-Semitic in nature. The response of the authorities and the judiciary to the problem of anti-Semitism in Poland is inadequate, and law enforcement agencies do not have the skills to identify whether a reported incident is anti-Semitic in nature.
The Project Promoter, together with experts, developed a definition of antisemitism (in the form of guidelines), taking into account Polish specificities, in order to facilitate the identification of antisemitic acts. A practical guide on how to apply the guidelines was also produced and distributed to agencies and prosecutors'' offices. This knowledge was disseminated through workshops for prosecutors and local authorities. The Project Promoter monitored anti-Semitic incidents and hate speech on its ''Report Hate'' portal and sent notifications to the Public Prosecutor''s Office. A total of 530 reports were received over the course of the project, of which 415 concerned anti-Semitic acts. The Project Promoter also undertook strategic lytigation, using selected cases of monitoring failures in the area of anti-Semitic hate crimes to change law enforcement practice. The results of the lytigation are described in the report. A social media campaign was also launched using infographics and short animations.
The activities planned as part of the project benefited those involved in the judicial system, prosecutors and local authorities, who were sensitised to antisemitic crimes. The systemic problems of combating anti-Semitism were publicised and discussed. The tools developed (guidelines, handbook, infographics, animations, workshop scenario for prosecutors) are universal and can be used in the long term. The handbook has found its way into the hands of the Minister of Justice in the new government.