Margot. Thousands of mainly young protesters gathered on Friday night near the Warsaw home of Jarosław Kaczyński, considered Poland’s ultimate powerbroker as leader of the PiS. Poland’s rightwing government has delayed implementation of a controversial court ruling that would outlaw almost all abortion after it prompted the largest protests since the fall of communism. [16][40] A 13 August march in Leipzig was attended by 300 people,[41] and Rainbow Slovakia activists hung a rainbow flag on the statue of John Paul II in Bratislava. W tle wyzwiska i ataki", "Das 'polnische Stonewall': Solidarität mit der LGBTI*-Community in Warschau", "[Opinion] Europe failing to protect LGBTI citizens", "Na sochu Jána Pavla II. The protest, called Black Monday, opposes the tightening of anti-abortion laws by the Polish government. Nationwide protests Saturday were scheduled to coincide with Polish women gaining the right to vote 102 years ago. [24][26] Some of the people outside Wilcza Street police station were also arrested. Many of the banners and placards, bearing slogans such as “disgrace!” and “war on women”, also carried the red lightning image that has become a symbol of the protests. Protests against the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that imposes a near-total ban on abortion in Glasgow, Scotland. A large crowd of LGBT rights supporters gathered in Warsaw on Saturday to protest the arrest of a … Women’s groups estimate that as many as 200,000 procedures are performed illegally or abroad each year. A representative of the police did not answer all questions posed by opposition MPs, refusing to say why it was necessary to arrest the demonstrators. [31], After word got out of the arrests, sympathizers gathered outside the police stations to protest, and multiple parliamentarians, including Magdalena Filiks [pl] and Klaudia Jachira of Civic Coalition, visited the police stations to ensure that detainees' human rights were respected. [24] In total, forty-eight people, including Margot, were arrested, which was described as a "mass arrest", and held in at least four police stations in Warsaw. "[17] Former police commandant of Zgierz district, Iwona Lewandowska, stated that the response "ruined the image of the police". His office had interviewed 33 of those arrested on 7 August 2020, and launched an investigation. Poland’s mass protests for abortion rights: ‘This is war’ A proposal to ban most terminations has triggered the largest rallies post-communism Poland has witnessed. According to Balkan Insight, "testimonies from the detained and their lawyers, as well as independent observers, point to a disproportionate response by the police, who arrested peaceful protesters and even random passers-by while acting violently". ", "Poland: Stop Bzdurom, Queer struggle and the events of yesterday in Warsaw", "Wątpliwości i pytania ws. On 16 August, a right-wing demonstration was held in Warsaw opposing "LGBT aggression". [26] The next day, thousands of mostly young people gathered in Warsaw to protest the arrests, using slogans such as "You will not lock all of us up! image caption It is the second night of protests in Poland. [23][25] Some protestors used civil disobedience to prevent this. [3][7] LGBT organizations such as Campaign Against Homophobia and Tolerado have attempted to stop the vans by reporting them to the police; however, these efforts have been mostly unsuccessful due to the lack of recognition of anti-LGBT speech in Poland's hate speech laws. ... Election 2020. Photo: Getty Images. "[24][28] Campaign Against Homophobia reported that "The police were aggressively pushing the protesters out of the way, knocking people to the ground and holding them down with their boots". [24] Later, police visited the addresses of the arrestees, which a spokesperson for Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights [pl] said was unusual and unwarranted except for serious crime, and could be considered a form of police harassment. The names and ranks of the officers were missing on the uniforms. [24] According to lawyer Emilia Barabasz, who is working pro bono for some of those arrested, most of the detainees were charged under Article 254 [pl] of the Criminal Code "active participation in an illegal gathering" and some were also charged with Article 57a, "hooligan misconduct". A heavy police presence kept both groups strictly separated from each other. [5] Duda narrowly won the election, by the thinnest margin since the end of the Soviet Union. Trzy głosy po brutalnej szarży policji (interview)", "Zatrzymanie Margo. [46][47][48], The Polish Ombudsman, Adam Bodnar, stated that he was deeply concerned by the police response. Protesters decry government's anti-LGBTQ attitudes", "Policja w domach zatrzymanych po proteście w obronie Margot", "W całym kraju demonstracje solidarności z osobami LGBT i "Margot. In 2020… Teraz się tłumaczą, dlaczego to robili", "Polish court rules campaign linking LGBT and paedophilia is 'informative and educational, "Polish activists fight against anti-LGBT movement", "Mężczyźni najbardziej boją się gejów i Gender, kobiety zapaści ochrony zdrowia. "Demonstracje solidarności z Margot i LGBT. [6][7][8][9] According to ILGA-Europe's 2020 report, Poland is ranked worst among European Union countries for LGBT rights. ... 28 October 2020. Thousands of protesters vented fury across Poland over a top court ruling that declared abortions of fetuses with congenital defects unconstitutional, ... (@CommissionerHR) October 22, 2020. The changes at the court are part of controversial judicial reforms that have put Poland on a collision course with the EU over concerns they undermine judicial independence and the rule of law. But those I interviewed are proud of their country and the people standing up to the government. [16][7], In late July, Stop Bzdurom placed rainbow flags and anarchist bandanas on statues of Nicolaus Copernicus, Józef Piłsudski, the Mermaid of Warsaw, and Jesus in Warsaw. Krok po kroku przypominamy, dlaczego doszło do zatrzymania aktywistki LGBT", "Homofobiczne auta i banery – jak reagować? Widespread protests have roiled Poland since Thursday, after the government imposed tighter restrictions on abortion. [7] Former prime minister Donald Tusk tweeted, "Jesus has always been on the side of the weaker and the harmed, never on the side of the oppressive governments". Reuters. LGBT rights supporters protest in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. The police then arrested 48 people: Margot, protestors, and others who had not taken part in the demonstration. Ukradli kontrmanifestantom tęczową flagę, drugą spalili", "Tęczowa flaga w ogniu. [16] Dunja Mijatović, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, called for Margot's immediate release, tweeting "Order to detain her for 2 months sends very chilling signal for #FreedomOfSpeech & #LGBT rights in #Poland". [3][17][18] The activists released a manifesto, stating, "As long as the rainbow scandalizes anybody and is treated as inappropriate we solemnly pledge to provoke". [24][27], The Polish Ombudsman reported that "among the arrested, there are people who did not take active part in the gatherings on Krakowskie Przedmieście or Wilcza street, but were watching the incident. (Image: AP) [57][58][59] As of 17 August, neither von der Leyen nor Charles Michel, president of the European Council, has made a statement on the incident. Czy obserwujemy narodziny polskiego Stonewall? [37][38], During the next week, solidarity demonstrations were held outside the Polish Institute in Berlin[39] and in front of the Polish embassy in Budapest. Last modified on Sat 24 Oct 2020 19.37 BST. The abortion ruling drew immediate condemnation from the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights body. [10][11], Some LGBT activists, including the collective "Stop Bzdurom" ("Stop Bullshit"[12]), have adopted illegal direct action tactics due to frustration with what they see as increasing, state-sponsored attacks against them. An areial view of people continuing to protest against the Constitutional Court ruling on tightening the abortion law on October 30, 2020 in Warsaw, Poland. [48][11][29], "Policjanci eskortowali furgonetkę z homofobicznymi hasłami. Thousands of people marched in cities across Poland on Saturday in the third straight day of protests against a near-total ban on abortion, with some promising further action in the coming days. Published Dec. 7, 2020 Updated Dec. 10, 2020; Women have been at the heart of a protest movement that has grown and battled on Poland’s streets since October, ... gender and protest in Poland… Some were strip-searched despite no indication that they possessed drugs or any dangerous item, and transgender arrestees were misgendered. Police had to protect them from a larger group of counter-demonstrators who threatened and insulted the participants in the soldiarity demonstration; one of them was later criminally charged for making threats. The future is uncertain. [53] On 20 August, OKO.press published a letter from a number of prominent religious figures, including Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, stating that they disagreed with the pre-trial detention of Margot. All but Margot were released later that weekend after spending the night in jail. [49] Trzaskowski stated that the response to the protest was "grossly disproportionate". She presented herself for arrest while hundreds of sympathizers protested the arrest. Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, tested positive for the virus on Saturday as health authorities reported a near-record 13,628 cases over the last 24 hours and a record daily death toll of 179. Prior to the demonstration, someone had painted a rainbow on the street, which police said was an unknown substance that posed a threat to vehicle traffic. Mass demonstrations have exposed underlying anger at political and religious interference in people’s everyday lives, Anti-government rallies continue over court’s ruling to restrict access to terminations, Women’s rights protesters incensed by the country’s strict new laws clash with rightwing gangs in the Polish capital, About 100,00o people take to the streets of Warsaw to oppose tightened abortion law, Available for everyone, funded by readers. And finally, access to legal counsel was made difficult for the arrested. Cher 'amazed' at lonely elephant rescue. A counter-demonstration was attended by The Greens MPs Marek Kossakowski [pl] and Małgorzata Tracz, as well as Civic Coalition's MP Franciszek Sterczewski and The Left MP Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk. Women wearing black participate in a nationwide pro-abortion protest on 3 October 2016 in Warsaw, Poland. [7][14][15] Stop Bzdurom activists took a different approach, spray-painting the vans and breaking off their license plates. [29][23] On TOK FM radio station, lawyer Michal Wawrykiewicz stated: "The way the police behaved is incompatible with Polish law. [24] All except Margot were released later that weekend after spending the night in jail. The protesters were reacting to Thursday’s ruling by Poland’s highest court that an existing law allowing the abortion of malformed foetuses was incompatible with the constitution. "Rażąco nieproporcjonalna reakcja, "Ziobro zdumiony reakcją opozycji. President Andrzej Duda emphasized the issue, stating, "LGBT is not people, it's an ideology", calling it an "ideology of evil" that is "even more dangerous to mankind than communism". [20] On 5 August, Margot, Madej, and another activist involved in the flag drapings were arrested for "insulting religious feelings and disrespecting Warsaw monuments", charged, and released after about 40 hours. People protest a ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal that imposed a near-total ban on abortion in Warsaw, Poland [Kacper Pempel/Reuters] 30 Oct 2020 facebook Poland’s right-wing government is delaying the publication and implementation of a high court ruling that tightens the abortion law and that has triggered almost two weeks of nationwide protests. [34], Over the weekend, solidarity demonstrations were also held in Kraków (300 people attended),[33] Lublin, Wrocław, Rzeszów, Białowieża, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Łódź, Poznań, Tarnów, and Zielona Góra. The letter asks the European Commission "to take immediate steps to defend core European values – equality, non-discrimination, respect for minorities – which are being blatantly violated in Poland" and calls upon the Polish government "to hold accountable those who are responsible for unlawful and violent arrests of August 7, 2020" and "to stop targeting sexual minorities". Several MPs were in attendance: Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Beata Maciejewska [pl], Małgorzata Prokop-Paczkowska [pl], Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Anna Maria Żukowska, Katarzyna Ueberhan [pl], Magdalena Biejat [pl], Krzysztof Śmiszek, and Maciej Gdula (all from The Left) and Barbara Nowacka, Urszula Zielińska [pl], and Monika Rosa [pl] from Civic Coalition. Włoch stał obok, dostał zarzuty i dozór policyjny", "KMPT wizytuje policyjne miejsca detencji po nocnych zatrzymaniach w Warszawie", "Polish Stonewall? [34], On Sunday 16 August, nationalist demonstrators held a demonstration in Krakowskie Przedmieście, near the main gate of the University of Warsaw, called "Stop LGBT aggression" ("Przeciw agresji LGBT" or "Stop agresji LGBT"). [36] On 17 August, there was a solidarity demonstration in Plac Stulecia [pl], Sosnowiec, attended by about 20 people including Modern MP Monika Rosa and local politician Janusz Kubicki. [7] Not all LGBT people in Poland agree with Stop Bzdurom's tactics. Protesters vented anger for a second day across Poland over the new abortion laws. Women’s rights activists who have led weeks of protests over a restrictive abortion ruling in Poland are calling on people to join nationwide demonstrations against police violence on Saturday. Protests against the tightening of abortion restrictions in Poland have intensified further in the past week and are developing into a revolt against the PiS government. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also condemned the ruling. Sat 24 Oct 2020 10.31 EDT Last modified on Sat 24 Oct 2020 14.37 EDT. Ranks of police in riot gear barred their way. Undeterred, activists continue to block vans and drape rainbow flags despite others facing criminal charges for these actions. [19] The action shocked some Polish Catholics,[3] including Law and Justice Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who called the actions "desecration" and posted photographs of himself praying in front of the Jesus statue. 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