by Rex Wockner
Officials in Krakow, Poland OK'd an Oct. 31 gay march, then turned around and banned it after Polish President Lech Kaczynski announced plans to attend a celebration of the anniversary of Krakow's independence the same day.
Gay groups planned to march to the grave of King Wladyslaw III, who they claim was gay, on the anniversary of his death.
City officials had said they were fine with the two events occurring simultaneously but, after Kaczynski's announcement, they banned all other street events and demonstrations for the day and said the king's grave would be closed.
"It is hard to say (if) Kaczynski (is) in Krakow to ban our march or just to be part of Krakow's event," said activist Lukasz Palucki. "Information about our meeting was in the biggest Polish media so I am sure he knew about our march."
In 2007, gay pride organizers in Warsaw won a European Court of Human Rights case against Kaczynski, who, as mayor of Warsaw, banned the 2005 pride parade.
Kaczynski has said that if homosexuality "were to be promoted on a grand scale, the human race would disappear" and that he opposes "propagating gay orientation."