LGBT rights movement Opposition Government Traditionalists Małgorzata Szutowicz Bartosz Staszewski Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk Andrzej Duda Mateusz Morawiecki Zbigniew Ziobro Mariusz Kamiński Jarosław Szymczyk Ziemowit PrzebitkowskiKrzysztof BosakKaja Godek Rainbow Night[1][2] (Polish: Tęczowa Noc)[3][4][5] occurred on 7 August 2020, when a protest against the arrest of LGBTQ activist Margot led to a confrontation with police in central Warsaw, Poland, which resulted in the arrest of 47 others, some of whom were protesting, and others who were bystanders.

[12] She is accused of damaging a Fundacja Pro van in late June and assaulting the driver, for which she was arrested, charged, and released after the first judge to hear the case refused the prosecution's request for pre-trial detention.

[28] On 5 August, Margot, Madej, and another activist involved in the flag drapings were arrested for "insulting religious feelings and disrespecting Warsaw monuments", charged, and released after about 40 hours.

[16][30] On 7 August 2020, a second judge granted an arrest warrant against Margot which provided for two months pre-trial detention,[16] which was considered excessive and politically motivated by some LGBTQ rights supporters.

Hundreds of protestors had showed up, including left-wing MP Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, and the protest moved to another location in central Warsaw, around Krakowskie Przedmieście and Wilcza streets, before another group of plainclothes police tried to arrest Margot.

[32][35] The Polish Ombudsman reported that "among the arrested, there are people who did not take active part in the gatherings on Krakowskie Przedmieście or Wilcza street, but were watching the incident.

[35] Some of those arrested reported being beaten by police and suffering injuries, questioned without a lawyer present, or denied medical treatment and water.

According to Balkan Insight, "testimonies from the detained and their lawyers, as well as independent observers, point to a disproportionate response by the police, who arrested peaceful protesters and even random passers-by while acting violently".

Several MPs were in attendance: Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Beata Maciejewska, Małgorzata Prokop-Paczkowska, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Anna Maria Żukowska, Katarzyna Ueberhan, Magdalena Biejat, Krzysztof Śmiszek, and Maciej Gdula (all from The Left) and Barbara Nowacka, Urszula Zielińska, and Monika Rosa from Civic Coalition.

[42] Over the weekend, solidarity demonstrations were also held in Kraków (300 people attended),[41] Lublin, Wrocław, Rzeszów, Białowieża, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Łódź, Poznań, Tarnów, and Zielona Góra.

[44] On 17 August, there was a solidarity demonstration in Plac Stulecia [pl], Sosnowiec, attended by about 20 people including Modern MP Monika Rosa and local politician Janusz Kubicki.

Police had to protect them from a larger group of counter-demonstrators who threatened and insulted the participants in the soldiarity demonstration; one of them was later criminally charged for making threats.

[51][52] The week after the mass arrest, in Szczecin an activist was cited for carrying a sign stating "Jesus would walk with us", which was alleged to fall under the crime of "offending religious feelings".

Six people in Kraków were cited for hanging a rainbow flag over a statue of the Wawel Dragon; possible charges suggested by the police included "putting an object in the wrong place" and "disturbing public order".

On the nationalist side, All-Polish Youth leader Ziemowit Przebitkowski, MP Krzysztof Bosak (Confederation) and anti-abortion activist Kaja Godek gave speeches.

Bodnar added that he thought it was unnecessary to arrest so many people and that the excessive police actions "constituted abuse of human rights".

[58] However, Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro, of United Poland party, defended the police response and said "defense of banditry by politicians is unheard of".

[60] Police actions were criticized in a letter signed by dozens of former Solidarity activists, who compared it to the state persecution of anti-Communists in the Polish People's Republic.

[61] On 20 August, OKO.press published a letter from a number of prominent religious figures, including Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, stating that they disagreed with the pre-trial detention of Margot.

"[63]More than 200 academics at universities in Poland and around the world signed a letter published on 12 August, including Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, Roberto Esposito, and Jan Tomasz Gross.

[64] On 18 August, 75 celebrities including Ed Harris, Pedro Almodóvar, James Norton, Slavoj Žižek, and Margaret Atwood published an open letter (addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission) in Gazeta Wyborcza.