The report was prepared and published by the Laboratory of Religious Freedom, to raise public awareness of the wavering situation of religious tolerance in Poland. The media and society are excessively marginalizing the problem of religious violations, which has now contributed to an increase in the number of acts in the sphere of religious freedom, culminating in the absence of any legal intervention. Hence, every support in rebuilding a stable situation is essential.

"Report on violations of the right to religious freedom in Poland in 2020"

The "Report on violations of the right to religious freedom in Poland in 2020" published by the Laboratory of Religious Freedom, is the first study of this type in Poland, that shows the scale of violations of religious freedom in a maximally objective and transparent manner. It refutes the myth about the privileged position of Christians, especially Catholics, in the Polish public space. What distinguishes the report from other such documents is the adopted research methodology based on confirmed media reports. Such an approach to the subject shows that in more than half of the cases of attacks on religious freedom, no legal intervention has been taken to identify the perpetrators and investigate the circumstances of their occurrence, even though, the fact of their offense does not raise any doubts, since the majority of violations concern the devastation of places of worship and insult of a particular religious group. The media coverage is worrying. Moreover, almost every day we hear about a new case of attack on religious freedom in Poland, which raises the question about the state of public and legal awareness in the context of religious tolerance. Hostility towards religion does not strike suddenly and forcefully, but grows slowly, sometimes even imperceptibly, taking on the camouflaged form of violations that were initially downplayed. The report shows that the religious tolerance which has distinguished Poland from other countries for centuries is now wavering. Hence, in a dynamically changing society, there is a need to support, appreciate and partially shape it anew. The project of the Laboratory of Religious Freedom aims not merely to provide assistance to those affected, but first and foremost raise awareness that religious freedom must be nurtured, because only mutual understanding and respect are the key to peaceful coexistence of believers and non-believers.

Report 2019

The presented report shows 72 cases of violations of the right to religious freedom in Poland between January 1 to December 31, 2019, made public through the media.