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Poland · Warsaw

The Warsaw equality march that went ahead despite a ban

The organisers of a June 2005 equality march challenged Warsaw’s refusal to authorise their route.

Illustration of an equality march in Warsaw.
Editorial illustration

Timeline

  1. June 2005: The city refuses the proposed route and the march goes ahead on 11 June.
  2. After the march: The organisers succeed on administrative appeal.
  3. 2007: The European court finds violations involving assembly, effective remedy and discrimination.

What the court documented

The organisers applied for a route from parliament to Plac Defilad. The municipal traffic authority refused permission. The march went ahead on 11 June, and the administrative appeal succeeded after that date.

What the court decided

The European Court of Human Rights found that the organisers had been denied an effective remedy before the planned assembly. It also found violations involving freedom of assembly and discrimination. European Court of Human Rights · Bączkowski and Others v. Poland