Question reference: S5W-32790
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 26 October 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has condemned the reported attacks on LGBT+ people and LGBT+ activists in Poland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is strongly committed to advancing equality for LGBTI people and we are deeply concerned about reports of attacks on LGBTI people or activists in Poland. We condemn any such attacks in the strongest terms and we are particularly concerned by the creation of “zones free from LGBT ideology”.
We not only work to promote, protect and realise the rights of every LGBTI person in Scotland but we also promote respect and equality of treatment internationally, regularly raising issues around our fundamental values of tolerance and inclusion through our diplomatic engagement. Our most recent formal meeting with the Polish Authorities took place in February 2020, when the then Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs met the Polish Ambassador to the UK and introduced our publication “Strategic Priorities for Scotland and the European Union 2020-24” one of whose four key strands is to defend Europe’s democratic values and protect individual freedoms.
We will not hesitate to reiterate these messages at any future meetings.