This archive report was first published on 28 September 2019.
On September 28, 2019, a gay pride march in Lublin, Poland, drew hundreds of supporters waving rainbow flags and banners with messages of love and acceptance.
However, the event was marred by violence as counter-protesters, some wearing ultra-nationalist attire, clashed with police and hurled bottles and eggs at the marchers.
Police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the counter-protesters, with some being taken into custody.
The march came after a Polish court overturned a ban imposed by Lublin Mayor Krzysztof Zuk due to safety concerns.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights have become a contentious issue in Poland ahead of the October 13 elections, with conservative leaders condemning gay rights as a threat to traditional families.
Homosexuality is a frequent topic of public debate in Poland, with the country's conservative ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, labeling gay rights as a threat to traditional Polish families.
Earlier in July, a court ordered news magazine Gazeta Polska to stop distributing anti-gay stickers reading 'This is an LGBT-free zone,' a slogan based on a trend at local government level where PiS allies have declared themselves 'free of LGBT ideology.'
Violence also marred the first gay pride parade in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok in July, where football hooligans attacked marchers and police.
