gaycitynews.com – Doug Ireland
Gay/counter-culture center shuttered; protests persist on the streets
The past week saw dramatic new evidence of the ultra-conservative and homophobic regime that has taken hold in Poland since the election last October of a new hard-right government led by the reactionary, gay-baiting President Lech Kaczynski and his equally queer-bashing twin brother Jaroslav, who controls the Polish Parliament.
At 6 a.m. last Friday, Warsaw police raided Le Madame, a hugely popular gay club that is also the hub of counter-cultural activities and political dissent in Poland?s capital, declaring the club closed for good.
The closure followed a week in which the police had at first sought to blockade the club, but met with resistance from those inside and others who arrived to help stage a sit-in, and finally agreed to a 48-hour truce.