The definitions of hate speech crimes in the provisions of Art. 256 § 1 and 257 of the Polish Penal Code appear to be not easy to interpret and challenging to apply. Considering the specificity of the behaviour prohibited by the regulations mentioned above, greater precision of definitions seems challenging to obtain. That raises the need for a cautious assessment of the behaviour that raises doubts. Not every act of hate speech may be considered a crime, but any suspicion of a crime must be the subject of scrupulous examination by state authorities. The passivity of state organs may be perceived as “silent consent”. Failure to react to hateful words can encourage hateful acts of physical violence.
This article concerns the offence of the public promotion or commendation of paedophilic behaviour. It analyses the components of this offence, that is its matter of law, the circumstances of the offence, and the offender. The very idea of introducing a provision relating to this offence to the Polish Criminal Code shows the importance that the legislator attaches to the protection of minors against sexual abuse. The article concludes with proposals for the modification of the provision in accordance with the postulates presented in the doctrine on the issue.
PL
Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy przestępstwa publicznego propagowania lub pochwalania zachowań o charakterze pedofilskim. W ramach tekstu analizowane są kolejne elementy struktury tego występku, tj. przedmiot, strona przedmiotowa, podmiot oraz strona podmiotowa. Sama idea wprowadzenia przepisu do kodeksu karnego świadczy o szczególnym znaczeniu, jakie ustawodawca przykłada do ochrony małoletnich przed nadużyciami seksualnymi. Zwieńczenie artykułu stanowią propozycje modyfikacji przepisu zgodnie między innymi z postulatami doktryny.
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