The academic freedom package introduces full freedom at all universities in Poland, making us the country with the highest level of scientific freedom in Europe, said Minister of Education and Science Przemysław Czarnek on Thursday.

The government adopted an amendment to the Law on Higher Education and Science, the so-called “freedom package” or “academic freedom package”. According to the new provisions, the expression of religious, philosophical and personal beliefs by academic teachers shall not constitute the basis of a disciplinary offence.

According to the minister, the package is criticised because “freedom was once a privilege of a few, of the left-wing, left-liberal and communists.”

“The freedom package therefore is not liked because it introduces academic freedoms. A man who is not a man of freedom, but a man of totalitarianism, will never like something related to true freedom. That is why the idea meets with such an objection,” the minister said.

In the opinion of Mr Czarnek, scientific and academic worlds are “riddled with people with a left-wing or left-liberal worldview,” and that this should not mean that people with conservative and Christian worldview be ostracised and stripped of their rights.

“We only want everyone to have the same rights. This is the equality for which we fight and this is the tolerance we fight for, because those of so-called equality and so-called tolerance can only impress others on the streets with vulgar slogans and obscene behavior, but they have nothing to do with real freedom and tolerance,” the minister concluded.