In Poland, many people are following the opposition’s call to protest against the government. The reason for this is a bill that could have a significant impact on the parliamentary elections in the fall.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Poland against the policies of the ruling national conservative party, the Law and Justice Party. The organizers spoke of the largest demonstration since the fall of communism in 1989. A spokesman for the organizers, citing information from the city administration, estimated the number of participants at half a million. Initially, the police did not provide any information on the exact number of demonstrators.
Protesters gathered in the center of Warsaw. Protesters carried posters reading “Europe, we apologize for the Law and Justice Party”, “Abracadabra – gold is the terrifying Law and Justice Party” and “Law and Justice in the urinal”. Also participating in the demonstration was the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president of the Solidarnosc trade union, Lech Walesa.
In Warsaw, opposition leader Tusk and former trade union leader Wallisa take part in the anti-government demonstration.
memory democracy movement 1989
Former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition Donald Tusk of the Liberal Conservative Civic Platform called for the protest. But other opposition parties also joined.
June 4th is an important date in Poland: the first partially free elections were held on this day in 1989 – a victory for the democracy movement and the Solidarnosc trade union, which also heralded the end of communist rule. Tusk said to the demonstrators.
Lex Task resistance
The protest is also directed against a new law providing for the formation of a commission to investigate Russian influence. Critics accuse Law and Justice of wanting to use this law a few months before the parliamentary elections to destroy opposition politicians by claiming they are pro-Russian. The commission will investigate whether public officials made decisions under Russian influence in the years 2007 to 2022 that endangered Poland’s security. The Polish media is talking about “Lex Tusk” – a law made in Tusk.
The man from Gdańsk was the head of the Polish government from 2007 to 2014, and is considered a staunch political opponent of the head of the Law and Justice party, Jaroslav Kaczynski. The Law and Justice Party government accuses him of signing unfavorable gas contracts with Russia.
