A petition was received to the Sejm regarding the celebration of the American holiday of Halloween in Poland. MEPs will deal with the idea of an anonymous citizen to impose penalties for dressing up as a “scary character” on October 31. Asking for candies or threatening with a joke would also be punished – informs Rzeczpospolita on Thursday.
–
According to the journal, a bill submitted by an anonymous citizen to support the national traditions of the Republic of Poland assumes that “who on October 31 of a given calendar year disguises himself as a terrible figure, in particular a skeleton, witch, vampire, devil or other associated with hell being, subject to the penalty of restriction of liberty or detention for not less than 15 days. ”
–
Another project article says that “who on October 31 walks and knocks on flats, asking for candy or warning against committing a malicious joke – shall be subject to a fine of at least PLN 500 or the penalty of restriction of liberty”. The originator also imposes penalties for parents who agree that their children will celebrate Halloween. For example, for agreeing to “trick or treat” – at least 10 days in jail.
–
Moreover, according to Rzeczpospolita, the author of the project postulates the creation of a seven-member cell responsible for the implementation of the law at each district prosecutor’s office.
–
“The proposal will have to be taken seriously by MPs, and earlier it will be consulted by experts from the Parliamentary Analysis Bureau. Reason? The petition was sent by Sejm Marshal Elżbieta Witek” – indicates “Rz”.
–
WATCH TVN24 ON THE INTERNET ON TVN24 GO >>>
–
“Exotic Holiday”
The newspaper indicates that the consideration of such letters by the Sejm is the result of the Act on Petitions adopted in 2014. “It provides that any natural or legal person, even an organizational unit which is not a legal person, may submit a petition to any public authority. As a result of the act’s entry into force, a Committee on Petitions was created in the Sejm, to which over 740 cases have been referred since then” – writes a diary.
–
“However, even against the background of such a significant number of petitions, this one about Halloween seems to be extremely exotic. The argument of the author, who in the justification to the bill says that” Halloween is trying to bring young generation to the head of the All Saints ‘Day and All Souls’ Day celebration is not unusual “- we read.
–
Rzeczpospolita quotes, among other things, a statement from 2018 from the Secretary General of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Artur Miziński, who said that “Halloween is anti-Christian and dangerous, promotes the culture of death, pushes towards esoteric mentality and magic.”
–
“Such proposals are usually rejected by the committee without lively discussion.”
The head of the parliamentary Committee on Petitions, Sławomir Piechota from the Civic Coalition, in an interview with Rzeczpospolita, notes that this is not the first time parliament has dealt with such an “exotic petition”.
–
“For example, in 2014, the Human Rights, the Rule of Law and Petitions Committee in the Senate considered the idea of introducing genital truncation as a way to punish perpetrators of sexual violence in the Penal Code. (…) In turn, the Sejm Committee on Petitions last year a proposal stipulating that any leftist ideological postulates could be introduced in Poland “only after not less than 200 years of observing the effects of these actions in the countries that submitted to it,” the newspaper points out.
–
– I also remember a petition envisaging granting broadband Internet access to every prisoner – says Sławomir Piechota. He also indicates that such proposals are usually rejected by the committee without lively discussion. “Nor do I anticipate it in the case of the Halloween Act,” he adds.
–
“The current regulations provide for the possibility of leaving the petition without consideration only due to the formal shortcomings of the documents submitted. No provision allows for preliminary censorship due to the content of the proposed solutions” – the Information Center of the Sejm explained in response to the questions of Rzeczpospolita.
–
photo-source">Source of main photo: Shutterstock
—
