This past week Poland’s Prime Ministers office joins a GLBT association challenging allegations of irregularities against "Equality Foundation" (Fundacja Rownosci.) Although Poland has a history of homophobia this is NOT about gay rights – it’s about law. A democracy requires active participation by citizens to accomplish those things which government cannot and in some cases shouldn't do. The NGO’s works empower citizens in accomplishing great things for themselves within their communities. When that public trust is broken by officers of the entities they too are subject to the penalties of local and international laws. We believe as does the Polish government that "Equality Foundation" broke that trust both in deeds and actions. ILGCN Polska’s new president petitioned the Obama administration and the Polish government for their assistance towards ensuring equal justice under the laws of Poland and international community. There's still much work to be done exposing injustice and oppression within.
The excerpts below are from an article that appeared 13 march 2009 on Poland’s popular "GayLife" website titled, "Minister is going to court – Is foundation under danger of receivership?."
The original may be read here along with supporting documents against the foundation.
As we (GayLife) already mentioned for some time – the organizers of the annual Equality Parade in Warsaw are under a black cloud. Now, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy has requested a court ruling on whether the foundation operates under the laws of Poland and the statutes of its charter.
Historically court receivership is a death march as appointed administrators oversee dissolving of assets. ILGCN Polska has requested that the foundation be dissolved and the stewardship of Equality Parade be returned to the original founders and the GLBT community-The NGO's representatives did not sign legal documents in 2005 surrendering the parade brand to the foundation.
How the Equality Parade was stolen from Szymon Niemiec: Equality parade was created in 2001 by Szymon Niemiec – gay activist and president of ILGCN Polska a GLBT association. After several years of coordinating the parade it become famous – in 2004 smells of big money emerged, grants from the European Union, to which our country then entered were in the air....
Robert Biedroń and Tomasz Bączkowski saw an opportunity and approached Szymon Niemiec with the suggestion of co-foundingEquality Foundation. Two months after foundations creation Szymon Niemiec was hospitalized for three months with Hepatitis B and after hospital release confined 8 months in his home. During his absence the foundation officers carried out its "coup." The foundation hasn’t cooperated with the co-founders from that point until present.
Irregularities began as early as 2005;Robert Biedron discreetly submitted a false statement to the court in 2007 requesting to eliminate Szymon Niemiec from the foundations board of directors...
To our knowledge falsification of court documents is perjury and fraud. Alternatively ILGCN Polska (officers) cannot be removed or excluded from the foundations executive board – that is completely illegal.