The address centred on the Lisbon Treaty and included the unauthorised use of images of the wedding American gay activist and his partner.

To justify his claims about the charter, the President used images – including video – of the Canadian marriage ceremony of the US couple Brendan Fay, a documentary video producer, and paediatrician Dr. Thomas Moulton to warn of the “dangers” of legalising same-sex marriage.

President Kaczynski told viewers that “Poland’s autonomy could be threatened” if the country signed the Lisbon Treaty, adding that he believed, along with the Law and Justice Party, that this would lead to incorporating into Polish law European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights that prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.  The Charter is within the Treaty.

“The message and the choice of images used in the address is a clear sign of ignorance and overt homophobia,” KPH said in a sharply critical statement.

“It is an embarrassment that an image of a foreign, happily married couple, who make a significant contribution to the society in the place they live, should be used to promote hatred and misconceptions in our country by the head of state.

“We believe that the President is wrong both in his opposition to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the way he communicates it.

“In a democratic society the president should guard the liberty and equal rights of all citizens,” the statement continued.

“Let us not forget that the quality of democracy is measured by the respect it has for minorities.  It is inappropriate for the President of Poland, in an act of party politics, to encourage antagonism towards a segment of society which is solely seeking recognition of its basic rights.

“Furthermore, in light of Lech Kaczynski’s decision to ban the Equality Parade (Gay Pride) twice as Mayor of Warsaw, we worry that the President is consciously capitalising on the fears of a certain part of Polish society towards lesbians and gays.

“We urge Lech Kaczynski to refrain from such behaviour in the future.

“It is offensive to the dignity of many citizens of Poland and compromises the Office of the President of Poland.

“Regardless of the President’s stance on the European Union or the Lisbon Treaty, he should bear in mind that he is the Head of State in which at least two million people are non-heterosexual.  We sincerely hope that the President is able to overcome prejudice and lead a tolerant and open Polish Republic,” the statement concluded.

In New York, the international human rights group Human Rights Watch, has called a press conference on Monday March 24.

Attending will be Mr. Fay, along with Scott Long, the head of LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, and Daniel Domagala from KPH in Warsaw.

On Wednesday, the New York Times published the text of a letter Mr. Fay had written to the Polish Consul General in New York.

“We are frustrated to hear that images from such a joyous day are used to spread intolerance,” Mr. Fay said in the letter.

“I request a meeting to discuss the matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader’s remarks and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. … We would never have agreed to permit our photographs as part of a homophobic campaign.”

Sections of the Polish media took the President to task for using the images of the wedding, suggesting that this was a flagrant case of propaganda, as Canadian marriage ceremonies have little to do with the European Union.

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Posted: 22 March 2008 at 09:00 (UK time)