I have a query like FROM POI where city LIKE ?

I'm creating a www-based search function which users can use by submitting a form.

If I type the letter % in the "city" field and submit the post, hibernate recognizes it as a wildcard and the query will thus look like:

FROM POI where city LIKE ('%%%') which is not what I want.

DO I have to encode these special letters? Same goes for '_'

Hibernate version:
2.1.7c

Name and version of the database you are using:
MySql 4.1.12 Windows


Hibernate version:
2.1.7c