A ban on the cross and worldview ‘neutrality’? A heated discussion on TV in Poland ‘Do you get cold feet when you see a cross?’

A heated discussion took place in the program “In the center of events” of Telewizja wPoland. The topic of Jakub Maciejewski’s conversation with Dariusz Matuszak (Tygodnik “Sieci”) and Piotr Szumlewicz (Union “Alternative”) was President Rafał Trzaskowski’s ordinance regarding the ban on displaying crosses in the City Hall.

Szumlewicz referred to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, which states the authorities’ impartiality towards religious beliefs.

This provision is unnecessarily controversial because it simply wants authorities to treat all citizens equally

– he argued.

Matuszak responded that such a move was only the beginning of a broader action.

Mr. Trzaskowski decided to raise us. (…) There is no such thing as “state neutrality”, it is nonsense told to confuse people. China and the Soviet Union claimed that, and they were not neutral in terms of worldview, but had very specific ideologies

– he said.

Matuszak sharply described the condition of Warsaw and concluded that the ideological action would be the equivalent of governing the city, as it was in a terrible condition. The ‘Sieci’ journalist also argued that if someone is bothered by the cross, he should ‘go to a psychiatrist’. The presenter of the program asked Szumlewicz three questions: if he is a Muslim follower, would he also ban a female civil servant from wearing a hijab at work, would he ban a follower of Judaism from wearing a skullcap at work? , or would he help Grzegorz Braun put out Hanukkah candles in the Sejm?

Szumlewicz replied that there was a Catholic chapel in the Sejm.

This Hanukkah may not happen

– argued the head of the “Union Alternative”. As for the hijab, Szumlewicz would follow “French solutions”, that is, he would also ban it, just like the Cross.

But you get dizzy when you see a cross?

– Matuszak asked Szumlewicz.

At one point in the program, Jakub Maciejewski stood up from the table, picked up a wooden cross from above the studio door and read an excerpt from the preamble to the Constitution, which declared that God of this cross was “the source of truth ‘ is. justice, goodness and beauty.” How did the guests react?

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