Read on Twitter
Poland´s proposal has nothing to do with a genuine concern for protecting freedom of expression in wake of Trump´s campaign #Twitter ban and all with protecting his far-right base ability to continue to spit anti-LGTB hate speech on FB and Twitter. /1 https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/poland-readies-law-blocking-social-media-from-banning-users/
Reportedly, the proposal suggests that social media companies should be able to “delete posts or suspend users if their content presented violates Polish law”. Sensible, right? Wrong: Hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity are not recognized in Polish law /2
Stay with me and let´s imagine a 17 ys-old Polish kid who suddenly starts receiving inordinately large amounts of hate speech through Twitter for having organised a tiny pro-LGBT action. Twitter intervenes to make the abuse stop and suspends accounts/deletes posts 3/
If passed, the law will give those "cancelled" users the right to sue Twitter for violating their "right to freedom of speech". I´d not have an issue with giving our imaginary abusers a day in court if it weren´t for the fact that the Constitutional Court is captured 4/
But besides this, it is impossible to take this "freedom of speech warriors" seriously when institutions controlled or allied with them are on a mission to sue into silence an ever-growing number of activists, journalist and university professors. Let´s meet some of them. 5/
Starting with the press: Enter @gazeta_wyborcza, Poland´s largest independent newspaper. It has received dozens of legal threats by actors connected to the ruling parties, including the head of PiS himself. 6/
A situation that is also all too familiar to Poland´s LGBT activists. @AtlasNienawisci is an amazing project that documents the chilling expansion of LGTB Free Zones across Poland. They also have been sued 7/
Also sued: @BartStaszewski, a talented photographer, who documents the heartbreaking impact these homophobic resolutions have on ordinary people trough compelling artworks. 8/
Or maybe we should talk about the time @WojSadurski
was sued for failing to keep his opinions on the constitutional breakdown in Poland to himself? The list could go on and on and on 9/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/04/long-arm-of-law-and-justice-the-sydney-professor-under-attack-from-polands-ruling-party
was sued for failing to keep his opinions on the constitutional breakdown in Poland to himself? The list could go on and on and on 9/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/04/long-arm-of-law-and-justice-the-sydney-professor-under-attack-from-polands-ruling-party
And mind you, it is not only journalists, LGTB activists and social media savvy law professors who are being silenced through SLAPPs. This same Minister penned a law to punish judges who question his attempts to control the country´s judiciary. 10/ https://www.dw.com/en/poland-lawmakers-give-green-light-to-judge-muzzle-law/a-52131026
Thirsty to learn more? Please consider reading this chilling piece by @anneapplebaum about, amongst other issues, the use of troll farms on Twitter to discredit judges in Poland. Highly highly recommended! 11/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/disturbing-campaign-against-polish-judges/605623/
