A gay rights group on Friday accused the city council in Poland's ancient capital Krakow of pandering to homophobia after it banned a gay event that would coincide with a visit by Poland's conservative president. The Polish branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Culture Network had wanted to stage a gathering and a march on Oct. 31 to celebrate the birthday of a reputedly homosexual Polish king of the 15th century, Wladyslaw Warnenczyk.

But the city authorities feared this would upset President Lech Kaczynski, due in Krakow that day for celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence.

"We received an official document from the municipality saying our event has not been approved because of Lech Kaczynski's visit," said Lukasz Palucki of the gay organisation.

"I had thought it not possible to forbid demonstrations in modern Poland but it seems it is... We are sad but calm. We have had past experiences and tussles with the president on such issues," he told Reuters.

When he was mayor of Warsaw, the staunchly Roman Catholic Kaczynski banned gay pride marches in the capital, drawing condemnation from the European Court of Human Rights.

"Today the world considers us (Poles) to be homophobic while history shows we were the only country in the Middle Ages where homosexuality was not punishable by death," Palucki was quoted as saying by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily on Friday.

Kaczynski has denied being homophobic but has made various comments that have irked the gay community and liberal media.

Tadeusz Czarny, administrative director at Krakow city council, denied that the gay group had been refused permission to stage its event because it was gay and said permission for other events on that day had also been refused.

But he added: "I suppose the president would not have been happy to discover the patriotic event he is due to attend was taking place at the same time as the gay event."

Wladyslaw reigned from 1434 until his death at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Varna in Bulgaria in 1444. His alleged homosexuality stems from a contemporary chronicler, but some historians say he may not really have been gay at all.