Poland / District Court for Szczecin-Centrum in Szczecin / V K 24/18

Country

Poland

Title

Poland / District Court for Szczecin-Centrum in Szczecin / V K 24/18

View full Case

Year

2018

Decision/ruling/judgment date

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Incident(s) concerned/related

Other forms of hate speech

Related Bias motivation

Religion
Race/Ethnicity

Groups affected

Muslims

Court/Body type

National Court

Court/Body

District Court for Szczecin-Centrum in Szczecin

Key facts of the case

The defendant was accused of insulting a group of people of Arab origin and Muslims because of their ethnic and religious background by placing vulgar inscriptions on the facade of the building.

Main reasoning/argumentation

The defendant's act was qualified as a hooligan offense (Article 115 § 21 of the Penal Code), committed for trivial reasons. The crime was a deliberate attack on the public order and manifested disregard for the legal order. As racial and religious hatred was a foundation of the most tragic events in the history, the Court found the act of the defendant as significantly harmful. The defendant not only insulted Arabs and Muslims but also incited other people to harm them.

Is the case related to the application of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia, the Racial Equality Directive?

Key issues (concepts, interpretations) clarified by the case

The insult of another person can take various forms: a verbal form (use of vulgar words), drawings (e.g. caricature), symbols, signs or any other type of communication (film, photography) or a gesture that expresses disrespect for another person.

Results (sanctions, outcome) and key consequences or implications of the case

The accused was convicted. He was sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment for the probation period of 2 years.

Key quotation in original language and its unofficial translation into English with reference details

"(…) zniewagę mogą stanowić rozmaitego rodzaju zachowania, których wspólną cechą jest to, że wyrażają pogardę dla godności drugiego człowieka. Środki wyrazu, jakie zostały przez sprawcę do tego użyte, są obojętne. Znieważające zachowanie może zatem przybrać postać słowną (posłużenie się wulgarnym słownictwem), być wyrażone za pomocą rysunku (np. karykatura), symboli, znaków albo innego rodzaju środka przekazu (film, fotografia) czy też gestu, który wyraża brak szacunku wobec drugiej osoby."

"[(...) a variety of behaviors can be defined as "insults"; the common feature is that they express contempt for the dignity of other people. The means of expression used by the perpetrator are irrelevant. Abusive behavior may therefore take a verbal form (use of vulgar words), be expressed by means of drawings (e.g. caricature), symbols, signs or any other type of communication (film, photography) or a gesture that expresses disrespect for another person]"

DISCLAIMERThe information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.