Standards of equal treatment in the Capital City Office Warsaw does not violate – as regards religious symbolism – freedom of conscience and religion (Article 53 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland) – Marcin Wiącek, Ombudsman for Civil Rights, replied to the letter of MP Sebastian Kaleta.
Sovereign Poland politician Sebastian Kaleta has submitted a letter to the Commissioner for Human Rights regarding Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s order on the secular nature of the office. According to Kaleta, it is contrary to the constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.
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The Ombudsman sees no problem
The spokesperson responded that after analyzing the “standards for equal treatment in the Capital City Office.” Warsaw” was found not to contain any rules violating freedom of conscience and religion (Article 53 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland).
In the light of case law, placing a religious symbol on the wall of an office does not lead to a violation of the freedom of conscience and religion. The absence of a religious symbol therefore does not lead to such a violation. This is a matter of decision of the head of the agency
– added.
Marcin Wiącek emphasized that the standards apply only to rooms accessible to outsiders, and not to the entire office space. “Additionally, the guidelines directly state that employees may wear religious symbols,” he noted.
He stressed that if the standards are used as a basis for employee liability, each complaint to the Commissioner for Human Rights will be assessed individually from the perspective of respect for freedom of conscience and religion.
The standards only exclude the presence of religious elements during events organized by the office, and not by the employees themselves. They therefore do not hinder the expression of religion by people who work in the office, for example by organizing Christmas waffle meetings for willing employees.
– said the Commissioner for Human Rights.
A surprising argument
He emphasized that the guidelines apply equally to all religions and denominations.
However, the lack of reference to neutrality in the context of non-religious worldviews may raise doubts (these include, for example, pacifism, ideologically motivated vegetarianism or veganism, attitudes towards abortion or the idea of same-sex marriage).
– added.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.