Hundreds of thousands of people marched through central Warsaw yesterday to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election in autumn.
The Law and Justice (PiS) party fi rst came to power in 2015, since when it has eroded democratic norms, attacked the independent judiciary and launched campaigns against the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights.
“We’re half a million here, it’s a record,” said Donald Tusk, the former prime minister who leads the Civil Platform opposition grouping. He said the march had been the biggest political gathering since Poland regained independence after the communist period.
There was no offi cial confi rmation of the size , although Warsaw’s city hall estimated it at 500,000 people and central streets thronged with crowds of protesters. The city’s metro system was overwhelmed as people converged on the centre. Many people waved Polish or EU fl ags and the mood was defi ant but often festive.
“The whole of Poland, the whole of Europe and the whole world sees how strong we are and how we are ready to fi ght for democracy and freedom again, like we did 30, 40 years ago,” Tusk told the crowds at the start of the rally.
Tusk, who served two terms as Poland’s prime minister from 2007 until 2014, has returned to national politics after a fi ve-year stint as president of the European Council.
This story is from the June 05, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 05, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Explained: how did the Everton crisis get to this point?
Owner made bold promises but the club have this week had to callin insolvency advisers amid huge debts
Key expects ‘slugfest' as England's batting muscle ripples from top
Amidrising tide of Twenty20 run-rates, the defending champions have opted for more aggression in selection
'Defending democracy' The fears behind EU ultimatum to Meta on fake news
Fears that Vladimir Putin is trying to fill the European parliament with pro-Russia MEPs were behind the EU's blunt message to the Silicon Valley owner of Facebook yesterday. It gave Meta just five days to explain how it will root out fake news, fake websites and stop adverts funded by the Kremlin, or face severe measures.
Whitbread to cut 1,500 jobs and sell 126 restaurants
The Premier Inn owner Whitbread is to cut 1,500 jobs in the UK and shut more than 100 struggling restaurants despite announcing a significant rise in returns to shareholders.
'Poised and calm' The young, fresh face of France's far right
A mid the paté stalls wine-tastings and of a country fair, a young politician hailed as the new face of the French far right was jostled by crowds shouting for photographs and handing him tricolour flags to autograph. \"Rockstar!\" shouted one 18-year-old.
Five skeletons unearthed at home where Goring lived in Nazi base
Amateur archaeologists have found five human skeletons missing their hands and feet under the former home of the Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair military headquarters in present-day Poland.
Trump fined 9,000 for violating gag order and warned of jail time
Donald Trump was fined 9,000 yesterday for nine violations of a gag order designed to protect participants in the former US president’s criminal trial in New York as thejudge warned him faced jail ifhe continued to violate the order.
Student protests Expulsion threat at Columbia campus
Tensions at Columbia University are boiling over since students protesting over the Israel-Hamas war inside Hamilton Hall now face expulsion, a spokesperson said yesterday.
Shh! Intimate Ralph Lauren runway show whispers quiet sophistication
In recent years, the settings for Ralph Lauren's runway shows have become something akin to displays of the designer's power and influence.
Running round a Wall of Death may aid astronauts’ fitness on moon
As humans prepare to return to the moon after an absence of more than half a century, researchers have hit on a radical approach to keeping astronauts fit as they potter around the ball of rock.
