Lech Walesa, former Polish president, the leading figure in the country’s struggle against communism, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has sparked controversy by saying homosexuals in parliament should sit "behind a wall" and that they have no right to a prominent role in politics and as a minority they must “take a back seat and “adjust to smaller things” in society.

Walesa made these comments during a television interview for TVN24 news channel when asked to comment the ongoing debate in the Polish parliament whether to allow civil partnerships between homosexuals.

Ryszard Nowak, a former conservative member of parliament, reported Walesa to the prosecutor's office late on Saturday, accusing him of promoting hatred of sexual minorities.