“Family is the very basis of society and requires special protection from the state” said the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, during a press conference after endorsing “The Family Chart” on 10th June.

The document, which was widely discussed in national media, highlights the need for “defending the institution of marriage”. Alongside new allowances and benefits for children, families and the elderly, a promise of “defending children from

Questions are already being raised whether the President will declare all of the country an “LGBT-free zone” –

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has published a set of pledges to support Polish families if he wins a second term in elections later this month. Among his promises is to “defend children from LGBT ideology”.

While Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, from which Duda hails, led a vocal anti-LGBT campaign last year before European and parliamentary elections, Duda himself has so far largely avoided such language.

In fact, earlier this year, the president presented a more moderate tone, saying that he would be open to the idea of signing into law legislation introducing same-sex civil partnerships.

Duda himself has now joined the fray, today publishing a set of campaign promises that he has called a “Family Charter” (contrasting to the “LGBT Charter” of policies that Trzaskowski signed when becoming mayor of Warsaw).

The president’s pledges including defending and expanding financial support for parents and seniors. This would entail maintaining existing programmes introduced by PiS, such as the popular “500+” child benefit scheme, as well as introducing new ones, such as subsidised holidays for families.

Duda also promises to ensure that families remain safe (from threats such as domestic violence and pornography) and that the labour market is more adapted to the needs of parents, including making it easier for women to return to work after maternity leave.

Another section is titled “defence of children from LGBT ideology”. It promises to “ban the propagation of LGBT ideology in public institutions” and to protect parents’ rights to decide on how their children are educated. In particular, it emphasises that “parents are responsible for sex education”.