Tolerant: we must be!

Friday was the International Day of Tolerance. To mark this occasion, we held a party in the Embassy, which also served as the launch event for a fabulous photo exhibition recalling the superb British and Polish performance at the London Paralympics. I underlined how important a role tolerance plays in any civilised society and how crucial a part it can play in preventing conflicts around the world.

I also shared a personal example from the serious cold snap that hit London in late 2010. I was stuck at a station waiting with thousands of others for long-delayed trains. A train going in my direction was announced. A huge crowd, including me, headed for the right platform. I was clearly going too slowly for somebody behind me, who shouted ‘Get out of the way, you damn cripple’ and pushed me over.

That had the same deep effect on me that intolerance of religious belief, sexual orientation or learning difficulties like dyslexia has on others. Poland fought the intolerance of Communism and won. The global fight against intolerance has a long way to go.

Two things struck me during the evening. First, a priest who works with Polish Tatars said to me that tolerance was insufficient. Everyone is entitled to respect.

Secondly, how much the guests at the party, ranging from Paralympic Gold medal winners like Marta Makowska and Dariusz Pender to people working with amazing NGOs like Integracja and La Strada are contributing to the campaign for tolerance and respect.

We were delighted but humbled to host such dedicated people. It’s a great team, strong because it is diverse, and I am confident that working together we make respect the norm and not the exception.