Rainbow Night

Rainbow Night (Polish: Tęczowa Noc) occurred on 7 August 2020, when a protest against the arrest of LGBTQ activist Małgorzata "Margot" Szutowicz led to a confrontation with police in central Warsaw, Poland, which resulted in the arrest of 47 others, some of whom were protesting, and others who were bystanders. The incident was dubbed "Polish Stonewall" by some outlets, in an analogy to the 1969 Stonewall riots.

Declarations of LGBT-free zones in 2019 and 2020 and the 2020 Polish presidential election – which saw President Andrzej Duda repeatedly stress his opposition to LGBT rights – led to protests from LGBT rights activists, who adopted direct action tactics. On 7 August, a court granted a request for Margot's pre-trial detention for two months. She presented herself for arrest while hundreds of sympathizers protested the arrest. The police initially declined to arrest her, but later tried to do so and were physically, but non-violently blocked by activists. The police then arrested 48 people: Margot, protestors, and others who had not taken part in the demonstration.

The action of the police on 7 August was criticised by the Polish Ombudsman, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, the Council of Europe human rights commissioner and dozens of celebrities, including Margaret Atwood. Critics have described the number of arrests as excessive, and protested against police brutality. Solidarity protests have occurred in several cities in Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. On 16 August, a right-wing demonstration was held in Warsaw opposing "LGBT aggression".