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March 30, 2006

Standoff at Warsaw's famous gay club continues

The Innercity mayor of Warsaw on Tuesday evening called off the eviction and closure of the city's most famous gay club as more than 200 protesters camped out inside to prevent police from entering. Mayor Brodowski has ruled out any immediate action against the peaceful protesters at Le Madame.

For years Lech Kacynski, who is the former mayor of Warsaw and Poland's new ultraconservative president, tried to shut the club down. Now he has purchased the property and ordered it closed over the weekend.

But Mayor Brodowski said that it was too dangerous for the police to act and evict the protesters. Instead, he has sent the matter to the courts, which effectively means that there will be no police action for at least 24 hours, possibly 48.

Earlier, Brodowski met with Krystian Legierski, the owner of Le Madame.  “The mayor said that they would try and find some solution,” Legierski told UK Gay News. Speaking on the telephone from the club on Tuesday, Kasia Szustof, artistic director of Le Madame, said the police had withdrawn. “The told us that they would not be returning until Thursday, but we don't believe them,” she said.

Le Madame, where the eccentric decor is surpassed only by the eccentric clientele, was once strictly a gay club. But more recently it's become a venue for everyone, “gay, straight, whatever." It's known as the hottest nightspot in town and, in the daytime, the coolest place to chill out and visit an exhibition or listen to a political debate. (The Advocate)

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