QUEERWARSAW
Operation Hyacinth
Operation Hyacinth undertaking, 1985-1987
On 15th November 1985, following the orders of General Czesław Kiszczak, Minister of Internal Affairs at the time, the police on the whole territory of Poland started detaining and arresting individuals “suspected of being homosexual” or of contacts with the so-called “crowd”. Records were created for those arrested, nowadays known as “pink files” (there are supposedly 11 thousand of them). The operation, code-named Hyacinth, lasted with breaks until 1987. The police were trying to hoodwink the press by telling them that they were “helping gays”. Those in the police forces who were not convinced that they should be “catching the faggots” were effectively motivated by their own publication W służbie narodu [In the Service of the Nation], where the Ministry of Internal Affairs' political officer Sławoj Kopka published an extensive “explanation”:
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Preventive actions and conversations should act as a warning for many who are active in the homosexual circles. Also the policemen themselves, many of whom had never been in touch with this issue before, had a chance to gain a lot of new and interesting information regarding the essence of the phenomenon itself and its functioning, as well as some tips useful in detective work.
It was also often stressed that the operation was not aimed against anybody and was carried out with the “support of homosexual individuals”. Propagandist actions were often carried out in an arrogant style:
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More and more individuals appear. Younger, older, of different professions, educated and almost illiterate. Nobody is protesting, nobody claims that it is not their “ trade”. Tens of patrols are out again in the late afternoon. This time they penetrate well-known eateries, like “ Alhambra” and “Antyczna” cafés or “Ambasador” restaurant. Also the railway stations get inspected, especially Centralny, where the biggest group of “them” tends to gather. Corridors are crowded again. And again nobody is trying to explain that they are here by mistake. Everybody calmly waits for their turn, without protest yields to routine procedures. They know that in a few hours' time they will leave, often with some new addresses from new acquaintances from the corridor.
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Kopka also tells the story of a Mr Zygmunt, who: …was fetched from his own flat. Shortly before the arrival of the policemen, two guests had left his place. “Yes, I know them”, he admits. “They visit me sometimes, when they are in need.” “In need?” “Yes, they need some extra cash every now and then.” “How much did they get?” “500 zlotys each.” Mr Zygmunt is not trying to hide his sexual needs, what’s more, he eagerly talks about his beginnings
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