According to the U.S. Department of State Country Reports for 1990, ethnic and religious discrimination are prohibited by law in Poland (1991, 1239). However, a September 1990 article in Uncensored Poland comments that although the Constitution declares equal rights for the minorities, this provision has not influenced practice in any way (September 1990, 23). In a March 1990 interview, the chairman of the Sejm (Parliament) Ethnic Minorities Commission indicated that the Sejm intended to draft a law on minorities, however, there is no information currently available to the IRBDC on any progress in developing such a law (Uncensored Poland March 1990, 20). In March 1991, the newly formed National Minorities Council, made up of representatives of various minority organizations in Poland, stated that "the present paragraph in the Constitution is not relevant to the needs and aspirations of minorities" (FBIS-EEU-91, 34). A recent article from the Polish news agency, PAP, stated that foreign experts claimed the draft of the new constitution "contained too few articles to guarantee the proper implementation of human and citizen's rights in Poland" (FBIS-EEU-90-093, 27).
According to a specialist in Polish affairs with the Institute for Soviet and East European Studies, there is a growing social prejudice against non-white individuals in Poland, including a certain amount of discrimination against non-white foreigners (28 May 1991). This source also stated that there have been negative reactions against children born of mixed marriages, although no specific examples were given (Ibid.). There is no further information specific to discrimination against visible minorities in Poland currently available to the IRBDC.
Over the past two years there have been a number of reports on anti-semitism in Poland and government reaction to anti-semitism. Please see the attachments and Country Reports 1990 for further details. Information on discrimination against other religious minorities is not currently available to the IRBDC.
Bibliography

FBIS-EEU-91-050. 14 March 1991. "National Minorities' Council
Established" in Domestic Service [Warsaw, in Polish], 13 March 1991.
_____. "Constitution Said not to Safeguard Human Rights" in PAP [Warsaw, in English], 9 May 1991.
Specialist in Polish Affairs with the Institute for Soviet and East European Studies, Ottawa. 28 May 1991. Telephone interview.
Uncensored Poland. 19 September 1990, No. 17. Semprich, Zaneta. "Minorities in Poland: Poland Not Only for Poles."
_____. 31 March 1990, No. 6. "Nationalisms and Nationalities: Is There a German Minority in Poland?"
U.S. Department of State. 1991. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1990. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Attachments
FBIS-EEU-91-050. 29 March 1991. "Walesa Attends Joint Jewish
Council Meeting" in PAP [Warsaw, in English], 29 March 1991.
_____. 14 March 1991. "National Minorities' Council Established" in Domestic Service [Warsaw, in Polish], 13 March 1991.
_____. "Constitution Said not to Safeguard Human Rights" in PAP [Warsaw, in English], 9 May 1991.
_____. 1 February 1991. "Walesa 'Will Not Allow' Anti-Semitism" in PAP [Warsaw, in English], 31 January 1991.
Libération. 18 April 1991. "L'Eglise et l'Etat face à l'antisémitisme."
_____. 12 April 1991. "Walesa et la mémoire juive polonaise."
_____. 5 April 1991. "Un tiers des Polonais est antisémite."
_____. 30, 31 April 1991. "Walesa crée un comité contre l'antisémitisme."
Le Monde. 25-26 November 1990. "Les Dérapages antisémites de la campagne électorale."
Radio Free Europe. 15 February 1991, Vol. 2, No. 7. Report on Eastern Europe. Sabbat-Swidlicka, Anna. "The Bishops Address the Issue of Anti-Semitism in Poland."
Reuters. 6 March 1991. "Walesa Creates Council to Fight Anti-Semitism in Poland." (NEXIS)
Uncensored Poland. 19 September 1990, No. 17. Semprich, Zaneta. "Minorities in Poland: Poland Not Only for Poles."