Warsaw’s new policy is aimed at ensuring the “neutrality” of public offices
FILE PHOTO: A person holds a crucifix during a rally on Poland’s Independence Day in Warsaw in 2021. © Attila Husejnow / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
Poland’s capital Warsaw has instructed civil servants not to display crucifixes and other religious symbols in the workplace, sparking backlash from conservative groups.
According to the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, officials will not be permitted to hang crosses and crucifixes on the walls or keep them on their desks. Government employees will still be allowed to wear crosses on the job, however.
The new rules are part of a broader set of regulations aimed at combating various forms of discrimination. Officials were instructed to use gender-neutral language, address people by their preferred pronouns, and not discriminate against same-sex couples. “Warsaw is the first city in Poland to adopt such a document,” City Hall spokeswoman Monika Beuth said.
Some politicians and religious groups responded by arguing that such regulations are inappropriate in a predominantly Catholic country. “I think this decision is unnecessary,” said Szymon Holownia, the speaker of the Polish parliament. “I have found a large number of crosses on the walls of the Sejm. While I personally will not hang crosses in public offices, I don’t think that today in Poland we need a war on whether crosses should be taken down from walls.”
Conservative MP Sebastian Kaleta promised to ask the prosecutor’s office to check if the capital’s policies violate any laws, while Catholic activist group Ordo Iuris urged people to send complaints to the City Hall.
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Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski defended the new rules and blasted “the hype in the media.” He explained that the guidelines were put in place to ensure an inclusive environment and uphold Poland’s secularism.
“Everyone has the right to their faith, or the lack thereof. This includes civil servants and clerks. [But] anyone who comes to the office to handle their business has the right to feel that he or she is in a neutral office. As simply as that,” the mayor wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. “No one intends to wage a battle against any religion in Warsaw.”
Speaking at a press conference, Trzaskowski said that the regulations will not apply to hospitals, schools and social welfare centers. He further clarified that although the guidelines bar religious ceremonies from taking place in government buildings, they will not apply to “traditional historical celebrations,” such as the commemoration of the 1944 uprising of Warsaw citizens against the Nazi occupation during World War II.
