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Description
According to a report released by the Commissioner for Human Rights on the Situation of LGBT People in Poland, since 2018, at the same time as a sharp increase in the number of gay pride parades held in Polish cities, the right to peaceful gatherings is being increasingly restricted, and measures to ensure safety of people taking part in the parades increasingly reduced. Currently, each parade group has to manage using its own resources. Many of them do not have the know-how to organize gatherings of that kind, or the legal knowledge required to fend off attacks from right-wing organizations. Many people face activist burnout. The project is intended to share information and improve skills, and bring about coordination and communication between the individual groups that organize gay pride parades. We will hold a Marching City Congress at which all of the people organizing gay pride parades from all over Poland will meet. We will use this opportunity to network and share know-how, and organize specialist training that deals with declared activist needs. We will form a coalition and launch a website with information about the movement and a guide for people who attend demonstrations. We will also conduct a series of regional training sessions in six cities in Poland and a legal webinar via Zoom before the march season begins. March groups from all over Poland will be involved in the project, and 70 people from 27 cities will attend the congress. The end result will be promotion of civil rights, and safer gay pride parades and other gatherings to defend the rights of vulnerable persons (not necessarily LGBT+ people) involving march groups (i.e. the women''s march (manifa), the climate protest (strajk klimatyczny), and demonstrations in defense of the constitution).
Summary of project results
Although the number of equality marches has been increasing in recent years, both the right to peaceful assembly and the security measures taken to protect those participating in marches are being curtailed (''Situation of LGBT people in Poland'', RPO). Violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people have increased in Poland over the past few years, which is related to the acquiescence to hate speech and homophobic rhetoric by those in power (FRA, 2020). In 2019, there were 30 marches, including five originally banned by local authorities and six with counter-manifestations that involved violence. Meanwhile, the responsibility for security falls primarily on those organising the marches. At the same time, after all, many of them do not have the experience or legal knowledge to fend off attacks from right-wing organisations - moreover, they increasingly face activist burnout. The project organised the Congress of Marching Cities, a meeting of people organising equality marches from all over Poland, during which the Coalition of Marching Cities was formed. The meeting was attended by 70 people from 30 cities. It was a space for networking and sharing experiences. In response to reported needs, workshops were organised on, among other things, counteracting activist burnout and adapting events to the needs of people with disabilities. A website with information on the movement was also launched and a guidebook for first-time marchers was published. Six regional trainings were also held, with topics tailored to the specifics of the region, as well as a webinar on the law on assemblies.As a result of the project, the Coalition of Marching Cities with its Secretariat was established. People from collectives organising equality marches were able to meet each other, share knowledge on organising safe and inclusive events and strengthen coordination and communication competences ahead of the marching season. Collectives organising marches for the first time also took part in the Congress. The Congress was a ground-breaking networking event, a platform to share knowledge and experiences and a step towards making equality marches more accessible and safer.
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