Warsaw — Rights activists slammed Poland’s ruling party after authorities detained a woman who allegedly had images of an icon of the Virgin Mary with a rainbow-coloured halo resembling the symbol of the LGBT community. Police raided the home of Elzbieta Podlesna at 6am on Monday and questioned her for several hours, saying the images — similar to ones put up across her town last month — may break a law on offending religious beliefs. The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said police used excessive force and may have breached the constitution, while Amnesty International — which Podlesna has worked with — said authorities detained a “peaceful activist” who has the right to freely express her views. The raid comes during a closely fought campaign for the May 26 European Parliament elections, where the ruling Christian Law and Justice Party is portraying itself as the saviour of traditional values on a continent that has lost its moral compass. After pro-EU opposition groups teamed...

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