ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen condemns the statement of incumbent Polish President Andrzej Duda which claims that the LGBTI community are not people, but an ideology.

On 12 June, President Duda launched a family charter at a campaign rally stating that the “LGBTI is an ideology, which is even more destructive for mankind than communism”. The statement followed the tweet by the Deputy Head of PiS Party, Joachim Brudzinski, who wrote, “Poland without LGBTI is most beautiful”.

These statements are another sign of the Polish administration provoking and discriminating minorities. ALDE President Van Baalen reacted to these statements saying:

“It is an everyday battle to strive for people’s freedom to choose who they are and how they want to live their life. These discriminatory statements are a step back in a Europe where every citizen needs to benefit from equal rights. I strongly condemn these statements.”

Poland’s presidential elections will take place on 28 June, as they had to be moved from their original date of 10 May due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A possible second round will take place on 12 July.

I condemn the discriminatory statements made by President Duda. We can not tolerate any hate speech and discrimination in a Europe where we strive for equal rights for every citizen! #LGBT @ALDEParty https://t.co/r6hzsOoO0r

— Hans van Baalen (@hansvanbaalen) June 16, 2020