As European Parliament elections approach, and competition is heating up, Poland's ruling, far-right, conservative Christian Law and Justice (PiS) party is attempting to fire up its base by going after the LGBTQ community.

European election turnout is typically lowest in the rural areas where the PiS party has the majority of its support, leaving the party scrambling for ways to reverse the trend as it is locked in a close race with a pro-European coalition, Reuters reports.

LGBTQ advocates hold a demonstration in Warsaw, Poland, on International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

LGBTQ rights are being framed as a dangerous Western influence, going against Polish values. PiS has also been critical of sex education in schools, with a number of politicians claiming it will sexualize children. A new program, utilizing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, is set to be introduced in schools in Warsaw.

PiS co-founder and current leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has called LGBTQ rights and WHO sexual education standards "a real threat to our identity, to our nation."

And it's not all just rhetoric, either, as a number of small towns, such as Swidnik, have passed measures to reject so-called "LGBT ideology" in homes, schools and workplaces. It is reminiscent of the anti-gay "propaganda" law passed in Russia, which has been used to crackdown on LGBTQ pride demonstrations, although the Polish declarations are mostly symbolic.

But the message those statements send to the community is clear.

"I think that Poland will be a region free from LGBT,” said Elzbieta Kruk, who is running on the party’s list for a seat in the European Parliament, The New York Times reports. "I hope it will be."

Demonstrators take part in the Equality March in Krakow, Poland on 18 May, 2019.

That kind of language mirrors what Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said when confronted with the illegal anti-LGBTQ detentions, beatings, and murders allegedly being carried out by officials of the semi-autonomous subject of Russia, claiming there were no gay people in the region.

Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski issued a tolerance declaration in March and told the Times the backlash reminded him of how migrants were talked about leading up to the previous election.

"They are basing their policy on fear. They started a few years back with refugees when they painted this abysmal picture that we are going to be overrun by hundreds of thousands of migrants that are going to rape our women and introduce diseases into Poland. They are now doing exactly the same thing."

A recent public opinion poll conducted by Ipsos found 56% of Poles did not oppose civil partnerships, up 4% from two years ago. Most are still opposed to same-sex couples adopting, however, with only 18% saying they were supportive.