Human Rights campaigners will hold a demonstration outside the Polish Embassy in London on May 17th-the International Day Against Homophobia- to express their growing concern about the plight of the LGBT community in Poland.

Jo Field, The British Youth Council's Head of Policy and Public Affairs said: “LGBT rights are a non- negotiable element of human rights.

“The UK government has a responsibility to ensure human rights are upheld, not only in the UK but also within other countries in the European Union.”

Derek Lennard, IDAHO UK Coordinator said:

“On IDAHO day we offer our support to the LGBT community in Poland and urge that the European Community adopt severe sanctions to elected individuals that oppose EU principles on equality and non discrimination, and that homophobic legislation is immediately withdrawn”.

Since joining the EU in 2004, Poland has displayed openly hostile attitudes to gay and lesbian people.

The Polish government is proposing legislation which will ban discussions on homosexuality in schools and educational institutions, with teachers who disobey facing the sack, fines or imprisonment.

Last month Polish junior education Minister Miroslaw Orzechowski told a press conference that new laws will: "punish whomever promotes homosexuality or any other deviance of a sexual nature in educational establishments."

This follows a series of scandalous statements by Polish officials:
"If a person tries to infect others with their homosexuality, then the state must intervene in this violation of freedom." Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, then Polish Prime Minister, 3 October 2005