Knowledge database

In addition to support at the Gdańsk Centre for Equal Treatment, help in situations of discrimination and violence motivated by prejudice, is available, among others, in the following organizations and institutions:

• The Polish Ombudsman 
• The Ombudsman for Children 
• Helpline for children and teenagers 
• Centre for Economic Security and Support for Debtors 
• The Office of Consumer Protection 
• Polish Data Protection Commissioner 

In Gdańsk, assistance and expertise are also provided by:

• Gdańsk Council for Equal Treatment 
• Gdańsk Immigrant Council 
• Mayor's Plenipotentiary for Senior Citizens 
• Mayor's Plenipotentiary for People with Disabilities 
• Social Council for People with Disabilities 
• Council of Seniors and Council for Senior Citizens 

If local or national assistance proves insufficient, at GCRT we can help you approach European institutions such as:

• European Court of Human Rights
• European Ombudsman

What you can do when someone is attacked in your presence:

 

1) Support the person:

• approach them, sit down, start a conversation about a neutral topic,

2) Ensure your own safety: 

• do not respond with aggression (also verbal) to the attack; if you don't feel up to it, don't confront the aggressor directly,

3) Withdraw from the dangerous situation together:

• suggest going out, changing places, stepping away to the person experiencing the attack,

4) Request support

• ask for support from other witnesses, call the police or indicate and ask the people nearby to dial 112.

 

Responding to an attack can be emotionally difficult. Remember to take care of your well-being after the intervention.

How to react to hateful inscriptions and signs in public space? Such situations not only often constitute an act of vandalism, but also strike the dignity and sense of security of the residents of Gdańsk. 

• If you cannot safely remove the hateful inscription or sign yourself - take a picture and remember its location.
• Report the image or slogan via the Gdańsk Contact Centre (Gdańskie Centrum Kontaktu) or on the Gdańsk Map of Order (Mapa Porządku) in the SUBMISSION (ZGŁOŚ) category and the subcategory "Hate speech" ("Mowa nienawiści").
• Enter the text of the slogan or picture. Attach a photo. Indicate the location. You can suggest to administrators why the caption is hate speech, how it is offensive, to which group.
• Select the reaction you expect: redirecting the notification to public services, removing the inscription, etc. If the inscription is located on an area belonging to the City, it can be removed.
• Remember that if the inscription violates the law, e.g. insults religious, ethnic or national groups, calls for or justifies violence against them - administrators will redirect the report to the Police. This means that if you provide your e-mail address or telephone number, the services may contact you to ask for making a formal notification.
• The commencement of actions against the inscription by the services will delay its removal (it will be part of the evidence), but at the same time will increase the chance of punishing people who sow hatred.