Two Dutch parties in the European parliament failed to support a resolution opposing the public discrimination of gay and transexual people in Poland – the nationalist Forum voor Democratie and fundamentalist Christian SGP.

Both parties are in the same European grouping as Poland’s conservative PiS, which says gay rights are a threat to traditional Polish families and values. Some 80 local councils in Poland have now begun creating areas described as LGBTI-free zones.

The motion resolution against discrimination of LGBTI people in Europe, proposed by D66 MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld among others, was adopted by a huge majority.

Resolutie @SophieintVeld over zgn. “Lhbti-vrije zones” in Polen net in stemming gebracht. Forum en SGP netjes in het gelid bij PiS pic.twitter.com/ltgh5G7hqE — Jenne Jan Holtland (@jjholtland) December 18, 2019

The FVD abstained on the measure while the SGP voted against. A FVD spokesman told website Nu.nl that the party supports gay rights but ‘we think countries should be able to adopt their own policy on this sort of thing’.

The SGP said it opposed discrimination but that ‘it is more important the EU does not interfere with this sort of local issue.’