Polish Protests

[Ziggy]

Polish Protests | Thousands rally against right-wing government after abortion ruling
Dec 14, 2020

The organizers of Poland's 'Women's Strike' movement called for a surprise protest which was attended by thousands outside of the residence of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the current leader of the conservative. Protesters were met with a heavy police presence blocking access to Kaczynski's residence. The 'Women's Strike' protest movement is a pro-choice political response to the Polish government's legislation which aims to impose a widespread ban on abortions.

 

[Ziggy]

The All-Poland Women's Strike (Polish: Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet, OSK), is a women's rights social movement in Poland, established in September 2016.[1] It was set up in protest against the rejection by the Sejm of the Polish Parliament of the bill "Save Women", which was considered by the Sejm in parallel to the project "Stop to Abortion". The movement was responsible for the organization of Black Monday, a protest action that took place simultaneously in 147 Polish cities, towns and villages

October 2020 protests
OSK was one of the coordinators of the October 2020 Polish protests that followed the 22 October 2020 Constitutional Tribunal's ruling banning the most commonly used of the three cases allowing a small number of legal abortions in Poland. On 27 October, on behalf of OSK and proposals from citizens, stated that the aims of the protests included a return to the rule of law:

• full women's rights: legal abortion-on-demand, sex education, and free-of-charge contraception
• interpreting the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling, as stated by the president of the tribunal, Julia Przyłębska, as Przyłębska's personal testimony instead of a legal ruling
• the return of a "real" (independent) Constitutional Tribunal
• the return to a neutral (independent) Supreme Court of Poland that is not controlled by the Law and Justice party (PiS)
• the appointment of a "real" (independent, not someone from ruling party) Polish Ombudsman, to replace Adam Bodnar, who reached the end of his term.

On 28 October 2020, Suchanow stated that the initial involvement of OSK in the protests was to defend women's own rights, not to remove the government. She stated that the aims of the protests had expanded based on comments, slogans, and wide discussions with people who had joined the protests.

Suchanow, who had been injured by the police during protests in earlier years, leading to a spinal operation, interpreted a speech by Jarosław Kaczyński as a refusal to withdraw the Constitutional Tribunal ruling and an encouragement of escalation of violence.

Marta Lempart [pl] of OSK addressed Catholics in relation to the protests, stating in a radio interview, "Dear Catholics, you have a chance right now to oppose your church. Right now you are participating in what is happening in the disgusting things done by the church. And it's your last warning, because it's you who should rebel, your community, you, active in the life of the church."

During the protests, some Roman Catholic churches were graffitied and masses (liturgical services) were disrupted.

In response to an interviewer's statement that graffiti mass interruptions were unnecessary, Lempart stated, "Of course that's needed. You should do that which you feel, which you judge is effective, and that which they deserve."

 

[Ziggy]

Klementyna Suchanow ([suxa'nɔf], née Czernicka; born February 26, 1974) is a Polish writer, editor, translator, and activist. She is the co-founder of the movement All-Poland Women's Strike.

Activism
Suchanow has been participating in street protests. Since 2016 she has been a member of the All-Poland Women's Strike, organizer, and participant of protests against the restriction of human rights and women's rights in Poland, on the judicial independence, and freedom of assembly.

In 2017, the investigative journalism website OKO.press has placed her on the list of "17 Women Who Rocked PiS". After she threw eggs at the limos leaving the Presidential Palace, the Internal Security Agency entered her house. In July 2018, on the wall of the Sejm, she wrote with a spray: “Time for a final judgment. Get the fuck out," (Polish: Czas na sąd ostateczny. Wypierdalać) after which the police handcuffed her.
In May 2018, Suchanow was among activists who stopped the march of neo-fascists in Warsaw. In November 2018, together with other women, she was attacked by militants during the Independence March.

OKO.press is a Polish investigative journalism website created on 15 June 2016. The name is a word play on oko, Polish for eye, and an abbreviation for "Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej" (Centre for Civic Control).

OKO.press is funded by a mix of individual donations and grants, with no revenue from advertising.

In 2020, the website received the Index on Censorship journalism award.

Creation
OKO.press was created in June 2016, through the Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej "OKO" editors originating from the Polish media company Agora, as a non-profit investigative journalism website, claimed to be the first in Poland. The founding chief editor was Piotr Pacewicz [pl], former deputy chief editor of Gazeta Wyborcza and the founding deputy chief editor Bianka Mikołajewska [pl], formerly of Gazeta Wyborcza and Polityka. OKO.press journalists initially included journalists from Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka, TVN, and from the Agora regional news station Tok FM.

Editorial line
OKO.press describes its aims as investigative journalism, fact-checking of public debate and stimulating discussion of important themes in the Internet. It states that it promotes democratic values, human rights and government transparency. OKO.press says that it follows twelve fact-checking principles modelled on the United States project PolitiFact. According to Jarosław Kurski [pl], OKO.press was created in the context of a government that was successively removing checks and balances that protected citizens' rights and state institutions from government oppression, and it was intended to be independent of political parties and independent of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy.

In September 2020, OKO.press received the Equality Crowns media award from Campaign Against Homophobia for "analyzing the events concerning the LGBT community in Poland carefully and with dedication".

 

[Ziggy]

Agora Spółka Akcyjna (Agora SA) is a Polish media company. Agora and Gazeta Wyborcza (The Electoral Gazette) were created on the eve of the parliamentary elections in 1989. Gazeta Wyborcza became the first independent newspaper in Poland, while Agora grew into one of the largest and most renowned media companies in Poland. Since 1999 Agora's shares have been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Agora's activities include newspapers, advertising, cinemas, radio, various online services, magazines, books and more.

This little Women's strike group got lots and lots of money behind it..
follow the money..

 

[Ziggy]

Oh look it's Anteeeefa...
no way..

The neo-fascist marches in Warsaw have become almost normal. Anti-fascist circles have long been demanding that these marches be resolved in a city so affected by fascism. On May 1, such a march was stopped for the first time by citizens and citizens, but we had to almost transform into urban guerrilla brigades

“This march was not stopped by any authorities that have full authority to do so, and by ordinary people who do not agree to the presence of fascists in public space. If only we weren't just 50 righteous ... Although in this sea of shit in which we recently swim in, we still have to be happy. And we were happy. Because it finally worked ”- the Warsaw blockade of the neo-fascist march on May 1, 2018 is described for OKO.press by Klementyna Suchanow, its participant, an activist of the Women's Strike, known for many picturesque protests.

OKO.press wrote on December 10, 2017 about the action of throwing eggs on government limousines, about protests against the tightening of the anti-abortion law (balloons with paint in the PiS door, January 17, 2018), about an attempt to block the Smolensk exhumation in Łódź on April 24, 2018, protests against the new KRS on April 27 2018, as well as the harassment that Sukhanov faces (including the ABW visit on December 22, 2017).

I intentionally emphasize the presence of female citizens here, because it was they, members of the Warsaw Women's Strike, aged 17 to 30, who threw the first "smoke screens" at the junction of Świętokrzyska and Nowy Świat streets at the Staszic Palace. It was a beautiful sight to see a 27-year-old girl in a floral dress swinging in the full sun, which was still warm after 4 p.m., and raised dark clouds of smoke.

This gave a signal to students from the Antifascist Committee, members of the Syrena and Antifascist Warsaw collective, and girls from WSK who acted together.

Nie przeszli. Marsz neonazistowski zatrzymany dzięki zdecydowanemu oporowi obywatelek i obywateli

 

[WaterSong]

Polish Protests | Thousands rally against right-wing government after abortion ruling
Dec 14, 2020

The organizers of Poland's 'Women's Strike' movement called for a surprise protest which was attended by thousands outside of the residence of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the current leader of the conservative. Protesters were met with a heavy police presence blocking access to Kaczynski's residence. The 'Women's Strike' protest movement is a pro-choice political response to the Polish government's legislation which aims to impose a widespread ban on abortions.

Perhaps a rainbow flag doesn't stand for the same entity in Poland as it does here, the LGBTQRSTUVWXY community.However, I chuckled out loud seeing that displayed in a rally protesting a widespread ban on abortions in Poland.