Equality marches in Poland

[2] In 2007 (Bączkowski v Poland), the 2005 ban on holding equality marches in Warsaw was overturned by the European Court of Human Rights.

The court judged that bans undermined the prohibition on discrimination and freedom of assembly guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

[5] Many right-wing politicians oppose the equality marches as a "threat to public morality" and an effort to "promote homosexuality".

In 2005, All-Polish Youth planned to hold a countermarch called "Normality Parade" (Polish: Parada Normalności); instead, the equality march was cancelled by then-mayor Lech Kaczyński, who argued that the event promoted a "homosexual lifestyle".

About 200 people participated and the marchers had to alter their route due to non-existent counter-demonstrations announced in advance by nationalist groups.

[24] After activists announced plans to hold the rally again in 2019, Law and Justice councillors drafted a resolution to make Rzeszów an "LGBT-free zone" and ban the event.

Some 29 requests for counter-demonstrations reached city hall, which led mayor Tadeusz Ferenc, the opposition Democratic Left Alliance, to halt the march due to security concerns.

[22] Equality march in Częstochowa was first held in July 2018; the police intervened to prevent counter-demonstrators from blocking the route.

During the 2019 march, riot police used tear gas to disperse counter-demonstrators, some of whom attempted to throw eggs at pro-equality marchers;[6] 25 people were arrested for attacking participants.

[6] A married couple arrested while protesting the march was sentenced to a year in jail each for bringing home-made explosives in their backpacks.