A Polish court upheld the acquittal of a Lublin voivode who removed a cross from a government meeting room to promote ideological neutrality.
Court Rejects Appeal
In Thursday’s ruling, Judge Mirosław Styk stated that the lower court had properly evaluated the evidence and correctly determined that the voivode’s actions did not constitute a prohibited offense. Therefore, the appeal filed by private accusers was rejected.
Background of the Case
The case concerns a December 2023 decision by Voivode Komorski, shortly after taking office, to remove a cross from the Column Hall of his office and replace it with EU flags. He emphasized that this was about ideological neutrality, as people of different faiths and cultures meet in the Column Hall.
PiS Files Private Accusation
Lower Silesian PiS lawmakers Tytus Czartoryski and former Regional Blood Center Director Elżbieta Puacz accused the voivode of exceeding his authority and offending religious feelings. They filed a private accusation with the court. The prosecutor’s office had twice refused to initiate an investigation in this matter.
Previous Acquittal
The Regional Court in Lublin-West acquitted Komorski in November of last year, finding that there was no desecration or profanation of the cross. According to the court’s findings, there are no legal regulations governing the placement of religious symbols in government offices, nor are there any such provisions in the voivode office’s regulations.
Online Hate Threats
Following the decision to move the cross, the Lublin voivode and his family faced online hate. In an interview with “Wyborcza,” the voivode reported receiving threats including messages about harming his children, which he reported to the police.