The European Committee of the regions, with the
International Cities of Refuge Network and the city of
Gdańsk, announce the launch of the Award to honour the
memory of the mayor of Gdańsk and member of the CoR,
murdered in 2019
The European Committee of the Regions, together
with the International Cities of Refuge Network
(ICORN) and the city of Gdańsk, announced today, at
the presence of Commissioner for Home Affairs,
Ylva Johansson
, the creation of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award.
The award - named after Paweł Adamowicz, mayor of
Gdańsk and member of the CoR, murdered in 2019 -
will honour those who fight for freedom and
solidarity, and against intolerance, oppression and
xenophobia.
The aim of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award is to
develop his legacy in the spirit of ICORN's core
mission: advancing freedom of expression, defending
democratic values, and promoting international
solidarity. The establishment of this Award is an act
of homage and recognition of everyone who works with
courage and integrity against intolerance,
radicalisation, hate speech, oppression and xenophobia,
and who works to promote equal opportunities, social
integration and fundamental rights.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
, President of the European Committee of the Regions
and Governor of the region of Central Macedonia, said:
"
We will never forget the passion and the dedication
of Paweł Adamowicz for his community and for the
protection he gave to those in need. With this
Award we wish to encourage local and regional
actors to keep fighting radicalization, hate speech
and discrimination in their communities
."
Ylva Johansson
, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, described
Paweł Adamowicz as
"a local leader and a European leader, who stood
for freedom and his values, first as a young man
against communism, later by supporting the rights
of refugees and LBTQ people, often against strong
opposition, even hate
". She praised the initiative to create a memorial to
his memory, saying that it is necessary
"to recognise the work of local leaders who welcome
refugees into their communities, who work for
tolerance, freedom, fundamental rights and social
inclusion, who deserve to be in the spotlight, who
need to be in the spotlight".
She included strong support for local leaders, telling
local and regional leaders that
"you are best placed to make the difference, in the
villages, towns and regions, in the streets,
schools and neighbourhoods of Europe. Because
that’s where you find the heart of our communities,
the heart of our continent and the heart of our
European Union. Acting local does not mean acting
alone."
Magdalena Adamowicz
, Member of the European Parliament and Paweł
Adamowicz’s widow, said
: "Today, the fight for equality for every human
being becomes a fight for the European Union.
Equality is the very foundation of our community,
without which the existence of the Union will not
be possible. We need courage to defend equality and
freedom, because this is where the anti-democrats
strike. They know that cutting us off from European
values will be like cutting a tree from its roots.
My husband knew this and this is why he defended
our roots, the values of humanitarianism and
democracy with such courage. The Paweł Adamowicz
Award will remind us - Europeans - that peace and
prosperity depend on cooperation, and cooperation
needs mutual trust and respect, and respect is
possible only when everyone is treated equally and
with dignity."
The Mayor of Gdańsk,
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz
, said:
"Gdańsk shares the good." These are the last words
of Paweł Adamowicz, who was building a better world
in spite of insensitivity, intolerance, hatred and
violence. And we do the same - we share the good.
Not only with our loved ones, not only with Gdańsk
citizens. Solidarity and freedom are the values
that have shaped Gdańsk and today’s need for real
action and support for those whose rights are
violated. And it doesn't matter where they come
from, who they love, and who they pray to. We can
see much more in our guests than just immigrants in
need. For us, it is an opportunity to get to know
them as artists, equal partners, valuable
personalities, and simply as neighbors who are
worth caring for and with whom it is worth to
create a common future.
"
Executive Director of ICORN,
Helge Lunde
said:
"ICORN works from the conviction that cities can be
important actors for human rights and freedom of
expression. Over the past years we’ve created a
network of safe havens offering sanctuary for
persecuted writers and artists from worldwide, and
the values of hospitality, creativity and
solidarity become further enshrined in the ethos of
the city. Mayor
Paweł
Adamowicz fought for freedom and solidarity
throughout his life and career. He borught Gdańsk
into ICORN, hence contributing to the promotion of
the values he stood for is important to our
network. We congratulate the EU Committee of the
Regions with the launch of the award in his name on
19 March, and together with the City of Gdansk we
look forward a lot to taking part in implementing
its first edition."
The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award will be conferred on a
city leader, civic leader, organizations working in
partnership with local and regional authorities, that,
following the example of Mayor Adamowicz, builds
bridges and tears down walls, with a clear sense of
innovation and responsibility for future generations;
paving the way for societal changes in favour of the
weakest, not shying from any urgent battle for human
rights and civil liberties, locally, nationally or
internationally.
Paweł Adamowicz was stabbed on 13 January 2019
while speaking at a charity event. He died from his
injuries the following day. He was 53 years old.
His murder was preceded by a rise in hate speech
directed at him. His death prompted a debate about
the contribution of a degeneration of public discourse
to violence, extremism, propaganda and intolerance.
Mr Adamowicz was committed to promoting the
fundamental values of the EU, and he was an active
member of the European Committee of the Regions. In
2016, Mayor Adamowicz launched the Gdańsk
'Immigrant Integration Model' after meeting Pope
Francis. It has served as a model that inspired
other Polish cities.
Background:
- The European Committee of the Regions, as the
political assembly of local and regional politicians in
the EU, on the initiative of the Polish delegation, unanimously
adopted, on 7 February 2019, a
resolution
condemning hate speech and threats of all kinds against
political leaders.
-
The
International Cities of Refuge Network
(ICORN)
is an international organisation of 75 cities and
regions in Europe and beyond, offering safe haven
to persecuted writers and artists, advancing
freedom of expression, defending democratic values
and promoting international solidarity. More than
250 writers and artists have been offered residency
in an ICORN city. In a safe environment, they
continue to play a vital role, both in highlighting
violations of human rights and freespeech in their
home countries, and in supporting colleagues in
their country of origin. Mayor Pawel Adamowicz
brought the City of Gdańsk into ICORN on 30 August
2017.
By joining ICORN, the cities become part of a dynamic
and global network of solidarity and creativity. ICORN
connects and cooperates with relevant public
institutions and civil-society organisations that are
active in the field of human rights, culture, arts and
migration, as well as governmental and
inter-governmental bodies, locally and internationally.
Webstreaming links:
On the
website
of the CoR.
Contact:
European Committee of the Regions
Wioletta Wojewodzka
Tel. +32 (0)2 282 2289
Mobile: +32 (0)473 843 986
wioletta.wojewodzka@cor.europa.eu
City of Gdańsk
Maciej Buczkowski
Tel.: + 48 58 323 62 84
maciej.buczkowski@gdansk.gda.pl
International Cities of Refuge Network
Helge Lunde
Tel.: + 47 51 50 71 25
helge@icorn.org