The Regional Court in Gliwice on Wednesday disbanded the nationalist association Pride and Modernity. Its members were participating in the so-called Hitler's birthday party that was infiltrated and filmed by TVN "Superwizjer" journalists.

The motion to disband the association was filed by the prosecutor's office in Wodzisław Śląski - home of the Pride and Modernity's headquarters. The infamous "Hitler's birthday" was held in a forest nearby the town.

The court said that the members of the association had been aware of the nature of the Wodzisław forest party, which was organised by the Pride and Modernity leader, Mateusz S., who was sending out invitations. Eleven members of the organisation were invited.

"The character of that event was clear," said judge Bożena Klimaszewska, explaining that it was all about celebrating Hitler's birthday, which was an expression of acceptance or even affirmation of that person.

The proceedings in this case began in January, 2019. In the course of consecutive sessions, members of the association admitted to taking part in "Hitler's birthday", but refused to admit that Pride and Modernity was the organiser and that they were propagating Nazi ideology or holding such views.

The inquiry launched in Gliwice was to determine if the association had broken the law by propagating Nazism and glorifying Hitler. The reasons allowing the court to disband an organisation include blatant and notorious violation of the law, as well as lack of possibility of returning the organisation to lawful ways.

Pride and Modernity claims that the necessary threshold hasn't been met. The prosecutor's office, however, thinks the opposite and says that there was a blatant violation of the law through propagating Nazi ideology. Furthermore, the prosecution says, its impossible to separate the actions taken by the organisation from what its members were doing "privately".

Six participants of the event are on separate trial that was launched in July in Wodzisław Śląski. None of them pleaded guilty. All claim that the event in the forest was private and deny following Nazi ideology.

The investigation into the "celebration of Hitler's birthday" was launched in January, 2018, after the TV report entitled "Polish Neo-Nazis" that was aired by TVN. The journalists showed the event that took place in a forest nearby Wodzisław Śląski. By the order of the prosecutor's office, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) officers have detained the participants of the event and searched their flats. Nazi flags, badges, stripes and publications were found.

Red flags with swastikas hanging on the trees, a little "altar" with Hitler's likeness and huge wooden swastika that was set on fire after dark - all those things can be seen in the "Superwizjer" TVN report. In the video, the participants of the event raise toasts to "Adolf Hitler and our homeland, beloved homeland" and share a cake with icing in the colours of the Thrid Reich's flag. Six people are on trial for propagating nazism. Another participant of the event pleaded guilty and voluntarily agreed to pay a 13.000-zloty fine.

Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP