The Conference of European Churches (CEC) conducted a training for Polish churches in Warsaw, focusing on crisis management and ways of ensuring security for religious communities. The training was held as part of the Safer and Stronger Communities in Europe (SASCE), a European Commission-funded project, carried out by CEC and other European faith organisations.  

The hybrid event was held on 29 March in cooperation with the Polish Ecumenical Council.

The participants discussed how the low rate of violence in Polish society throughout the pandemic has recently been impacted by the Russian aggression on Ukraine. It was shared that security risks, challenges, and threats in Poland have been triggered by the war, which is reflected in the dynamics of ideologies related to religious identities and any association with them.

The participants identified other issues such as religiously motivated threats, challenges with Islamic militants in the public spaces, far-right extremists, and their activities, which are mainly online and include hate speech, hate crime, and cybersecurity issues. It was noted that these threats translate further into fake news, mostly onset by the war in Ukraine.

For more details: https://www.ceceurope.org/polish-churches-receive-training-to-ensure-strong-and-safe-communities/