Elżbieta Podleśna

Elżbieta Podleśna (Polish pronunciation: [ɛlʐˈbjɛta pɔˈdlɛɕna]; born 1967 or 1968),^[1] also known as Elzbieta Podlesna, is a Polish civil rights activist.^[2] She was a leading person in the Polish Women's Strike protests in 2017 and 2018.^[3] She has also worked as a psychotherapist.

Personal

Podleśna lives in Warsaw.^[4][5] While not a practicing Catholic, she believes in God.^[2]

Activism

In 2017, she was one of the leading activists in Polish Women's Strike.^[4] Speaking on why she demonstrates against fascist groups, Podleśna said:

I cannot understand a situation in which a country in which concentration camps functioned, in which a huge proportion of society disappeared, in which our neighbours disappeared, can allow itself to have people marching with fascist symbols through its main streets in the capital city, who with their fists in the air call out for the death of enemies of the fatherland, for the death of anyone! I went up to those people and asked them: who are these enemies of the fatherland? Are you talking about me? And I heard – yes, we mean you, said directly into my eyes.^[4]

In November 2017, she was one of 14 women who attempted to stop the Polish independence day march in Warsaw. She was forcibly removed, and suffered spinal injuries forcing her to wear a medical corset.^[6]

In July 2018, she sprayed "PZPR" on the windows of the parliamentary office of Krzysztof Czabański [pl] in Wąbrzeźno,^[7] as well as political offices in Golub-Dobrzyń.^[5] On the street before the offices she spray painted "Time for judgement". Podleśna said she acted since she was terrified by the actions of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and the changes to the state system in Poland. initially, Podleśna was charged with the crime of "promoting a totalitarian system" as well as vandalism, however the totalitarianism charge was dropped. At trial, she pleaded guilty to the vandalism charge.^[5]

Rainbow Madonna

Black Madonna with a rainbow, 2019 Equality March in Częstochowa

In late April 2019, Podleśna placed images of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, with a rainbow halo, in Płock, including on the private territory of a church^[8][9] to protest an Easter display by the Catholic church that featured LGBT and gender as sins. In garbage cans throughout town she placed a list of bishops who allegedly protected priests accused of sexual abuses.^[2] Speaking of her motivation, Podleśna said:

"Nobody should be excluded from society. Sexual orientation is not a sin or a crime and the Holy Mother would protect such people from the Church and from priests who think it is okay to condemn others."

— Elżbieta Podleśna^[2]

In May 2019, after she returned from an Amnesty International advocacy tour,^[1] she was arrested by police at 6 in the morning and had her apartment searched.^[2] At the police station, she was charged with offending religious feelings, a crime punishable with up to two years in prison,^[2] for profanation of the image. The arrest was condemned by Amnesty International and the Polish Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.^[10][11] While the names of suspects are redacted under Polish law until the conclusion of proceedings, Podleśna revealed her name to the media.^[1]

Podleśna said she received death threats for her protest in Płock.^[2] According to Gabriela Rogowska, the arrest of Podleśna was designed to discourage further activity.^[12] Joachim Brudziński, the Polish Interior Minister and PiS party member, praised the arrest saying Podleśna's protest involved "the desecration of the image of Our Lady, which has been considered sacred by Poles for centuries".^[13] The Płock court ruled the arrest was legal, though unreasonable.^[14][15]

Following the events, the US Episcopal Church asked for permission to sell T-shirts bearing the Rainbow Madonna with proceeds allocated to the Polish transgender community.^[16]

References

1. A woman could face prison for posters that show a famed icon of Jesus and the Virgin Mary with rainbow halos, CNN, Paul P. Murphy and Antonia Mortensen, 7 May 2019
2. LGBT Virgin Mary triggers Polish activist's detention, BBC, 14 May 2019
3. "Solidarity according to Polish women in 2017". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
4. Solidarity according to Polish women in 2017, Irma Allen, Eurozine, 16 August 2017
5. Elżbieta Podleśna in court for the inscriptions "PZPR" at the offices of PiS politicians? Victims do not agree to conditional remission, 20 March 2019, Nowości Dziennik Toruński, MAŁGORZATA OBERLAN
6. She tried to stop the Independence March, it was nationalists. Poland is fascinated and opens up to racism - says Elżbieta Podleśna, Gazeta Wyborcza, Justyna Dobrosz- Oracz, 23 November 2017
7. Elżbieta Podleśna: Why I wrote "PZPR" at Czabański's office and what they did to me, Gazeta Wyborcza, Wojciech Maziarski, 27 July 2018
8. Puchała, Dominik (2020). Tęczowa Matka Boska, Orzeł i Polka Walcząca: Emancypacyjne wykorzystywanie symboliki grup większościowych w Polsce (in Polish). Warsaw: Instytut Wydawniczy Książka i Prasa. p. 34. ISBN 978-83-66615-97-7.
9. "Elżbieta Podleśna: Na koszach na śmieci widniały nazwiska hierarchów kosćielnych, nie wizerunek Matki Boskiej". tokfm (in Polish). 13 May 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
10. Woman arrested in Poland over posters of Virgin Mary with rainbow halo, Christian Davies, Guardian, 6 May 2019
11. Poland: Furor over 'rainbow madonna' LGBT activist arrest, Deutsche Welle, Monika Sieradzka, 10 May 2019
12. The Rainbow on Fire, Visegrad Insight, Gabriela Rogowska, 8 August 2019
13. ‘FOREIGN IDEOLOGY’: POLAND’S POPULISTS TARGET LGBT RIGHTS, Balkan Insight, Claudia Ciobanu, 26 June 2019
14. Mother of God stickers in rainbow - cont. Płock court: it was enough to hand Elżbieta Podleśna a summons. Or send them by post, Milena Orłowska, Gazeta Wyborcza, 17 July 2019
15. Podleśna's attorney: in the court's opinion the detention was legal but unjustified, TVN24, 9 July 2019
16. The American Episcopal Church sells T-shirts with the Holy Mother of God, Queer.pl, 19 June 2019