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The testimony by Poland's Former Minister of Interior about Polish Government use of special services organizations to spy on political opponents has stopped proceedings of the Polish Parliament. And the stoppage may end up being long term. Parliamentary Speaker Ludwig Dorn said if the opposition continues to demand breaks the current session could "go on for months". Yesterday, during the reading of the secret testimony of Former Minister of Interior Janusz Kaczmarek, Former Minister of Education Roman Giertych exploded when he learned that conversations between him and Former Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej Lepper were recorded and transcripts of their conversations...

Warsaw - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is sticking to her country's tradition of trying to control Europe, but is "smarter" about it than Adolf Hitler, a controversial far-right Polish lawmaker said on Wednesday. Maciej Giertych, a member of the European Parliament who has a reputation for anti-Semitism and homophobia, said in an interview that Merkel was simply the latest in a line of German leaders whose goal was to "dominate" the continent. In an interview published in the daily Zycie Warszawy, Giertych said Merkel was upholding a tradition dating back to the Ottonian dynasty of Germanic monarchs of the 10th...

Poland's Giertych wants to ban gay groups from schools Mar 13, 2007, 13:27 GMT Warsaw - Roman Giertych, Poland's controversial Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, is preparing legislation to sanction school principals who allow members of gay rights organisations to speak with pupils, a Polish education ministry spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Giertych recently stirred controversy in Heidelberg, Germany, during a meeting of EU education ministers when he openly criticized abortion rights and what he termed 'homosexual propaganda'. The government of conservative Law and Justice (PIS) Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has distanced itself from the Giertych's comments, insisting they were...

(BRUSSELS) - A Polish member of the European Parliament has caused outrage among European Jews with a tract saying that Judaism has no place in most of Europe, partly because Jews create their own ghettoes. Professor Maciej Giertych, a non-affiliated MEP, also caused strong consternation in EU circles, not least because the tract bears the parliament's logo and was available online Friday. It was first distributed at the assembly in Strasbourg on Wednesday. In the text, Giertych, father of Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Roman Giertych, denounces the Jewish "civilization of programmed separateness, of programmed differentiation from the...

Polish Ministry of Education is surveying schools to find out about the situation of pregnant teenagers. Polish Ministry of Education has requested information from schools on the situation of underage mothers and mothers-to-be. Specifically, the ministry wants to find out, what kind of help is provided to teenagers in a difficult situation, so they can continue their education - whether maternity leaves, convenient exam schedules and financial help are available for underage mothers. Education Minister, Roman Giertych: 'If Polish schools are obliged to provide all the necessary help to a pregnant students, then we have to have the knowledge to...

US diplomat suggests dismissal of deputy PM over Iraq 07.11.2006 Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga is meeting with the US ambassador in Warsaw to discuss an opinion voiced by his deputy Kenneth Hillas concerning criticism of Poland's deputy Prime Minister Roman Giertych. Story by Slawek Szefs. The scandal broke out when leading Polish newspapers published information contained in a memorandum of a meeting of deputy US ambassador Kenneth Hillas with Leszek Jesien, secretary of state at the Prime Minister's Office. During their talks, Mr. Hillas commented on deputy premier Roman Giertych's appeal for a public debate on Poland's participation in the...

<p>Poland's foreign minister on Tuesday summoned the United States ambassador to answer allegations that a high-ranking U.S. diplomat overstepped his bounds in a private conversation with an aide to the prime minister.</p> <p>Anna Fotyga was to meet with U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe Tuesday evening to clarify comments made by Ashe's chief deputy during talks with a senior government official, ministry spokesman Andrzej Sados said.</p>

Neanderthal man walks among us, Poland's far-right says by Jean-Luc Testault Mon Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET WARSAW (AFP) - Poland's far-right League of Polish Families (LPR), which is part of the coalition government, claims Darwin's theory of evolution is all wrong, that humans lived alongside dinosaurs and that Neanderthal man is still among us. Last week, Poland's deputy education minister Miroslaw Orzechowski, a member of the LPR, bluntly rejected British naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and his postulate that man is descended from apes. "The theory of evolution is a lie, a mistake that we...

Patriotism on the Polish curriculum? 07.06.2006 Controversial education minister, Roman Giertych, wants ‘patriotic education’ to be at the heart of teaching a broad range of school subjects. Report by Gabriel Stille As an effort to inspire the "patriotic spirit" in Polish pupils, Education Minister Roman Giertych presented his ideas of a new subject, called "patriotic education" t a press conference. He compared with the United States, "where even immigrants have to learn the national anthem and the American constitution". Giertych also stated that he wanted to consult with teachers and pupils about his plans for the new subject, which would...

Poland installs right-wing, populist majority coalition May 5, 2006, 16:26 GMT Warsaw - Polish President Lech Kaczynski swore in a new majority coalition government in Warsaw on Friday after a shakeup in which the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party succeeded in forming a cabinet with the support of two highly EU-sceptic populist parties. The move raised concern among analysts over the direction Poland's economic reform drive may take with the anti-reform populist Samoobrona (Self Defence) farmers' party and the Catholic nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR) now officially in power. The PiS, Samoobrona and LPR will command a majority...