The decision by Warsaw’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, to ban crosses from municipal offices has sparked a heated debate on religious freedom and constitutional rights in Poland. Sebastian Kaleta and Jacek Ozdoba plan to file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, alleging that Trzaskowski’s directive violates constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
“Rafał Trzaskowski wants to remove crosses, he orders officials to ask questions about pronouns. He devotes the time of officials and the attention of the public to wage an ideological war, or campaign for his colleagues for the European Parliament. We are here to oppose such an attitude,”
said Sebastian Kaleta.
Kaleta asserts that the ban infringes on the constitution’s protection of religious expression and aims to have the directive repealed through legal avenues. Critics, like Kaleta, argue that Trzaskowski’s focus on symbolic issues detracts from addressing more pressing concerns, such as aiding merchants affected by recent tragedies like the Marywilskiej shopping center fire.
Ozdoba suggests immediate financial aid for affected merchants and proposes convening a special session of parliament if necessary to facilitate assistance.Trzaskowski defends the directive as part of broader efforts to ensure neutrality and equality within public service spaces, denying any intent to wage an ideological crusade.