Warsaw’s left-wing mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, has enacted new internal regulations that prohibit the display of religious symbols like crucifixes in city offices, making the capital the first municipality in Poland to implement such measures. The guidelines are stated to aim at preventing discrimination, and many commentators have linked them to a rise in support for woke ideology in Poland.
The rules disallow hanging crosses on walls in state workplaces, and personnel cannot exhibit religious symbols on their desks. All official city events must now be secular in nature, excluding any prayers or religious components. However, the ban does not extend to “religious symbols for personal use worn by people working in the office, for example in the form of a chain, tattoo or armband.”
The regulations also require city employees to accommodate the wishes of same-sex couples, such as allowing partners to collect documents or contact schools on one another’s behalf regarding children. Currently, Polish law does not legally recognize same-sex relationships, though the ruling coalition has proposed introducing civil partnerships.
Additionally, officials must use the pronouns preferred by the individual they are addressing, especially in cases of transgender or non-binary persons. The guidelines encourage gender-neutral terminology “whenever possible” and advise using phrases like “person experiencing violence” rather than “victim of violence.”
While some leftist councillors voiced approval, citing “religious neutrality,” the opposition conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) criticized the move, with one member stating the mayor aims to impose “extreme leftist ideology” contradictory to Polish traditions.
The guidelines have provoked debate around the role of Christianity in Poland, with many Catholics rallying to defend the traditional role the Church holds in Polish society. Mariusz Błaszczak, a prominent opposition leader, compared the measures to the persecution of Christians during Poland’s 40-year-long communist dictatorship and quoted a priest martyred by the regime.