There Poland takes to the streets against them high cost of living and “the lies of power and the corruption“. In 500 thousand They demonstrated on Sunday at Warsaw as the country draws ever closer to next autumn’s political elections. And the requests are for something bigger democracy, tolerance and recognition of social rightsas requested byEuropean Union which has repeatedly come into conflict with the right-wing extremist government rule of law.
“The first thing we have to do to start the path to victory is to find out how many we are,” said the historical leader of Solidarność Lech Walesa, the first democratically elected President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in the opening speech of the march. And then the organizers and the city hall of the capital did the math: half a million participants, probably the highest number since the end of communism. It was the one who called on Poles to take to the streets donald tuskPolish Prime Minister between 2007 and 2014 and former President of the European Council Between 2014 and 2019 he has now become leader of the largest opposition party. These days, Tusk seems to be more in the crosshairs of the conservative Pis party than ever Jaroslav Kaczynskito the government, which wanted a law that had already been passed by Parliament and that, not coincidentally, is being called for by the media ‘lex anti tusk’. It is a text aimed at expelling from public life the political representatives responsible for “Russian influence” on Poland’s internal security between 2007 and 2022. The president Andrzej Duda But he signed it last week – after heavy criticism, starting with that of the American President Joe Biden he was born European Parliament – back out and table a number of amendments.
“This is my oath before you: I will lead you to victory“With the upcoming elections, Tusk told the crowd at the end of the demonstration, which eventually gathered in the Royal Castle Square with hundreds of Polish and European flags. The former Prime Minister is also committed to this “A settlement” He argued that today’s demonstration gave new hope to Polish society “despite the divisions that power has sown in recent years”.
The date of June 4th was not chosen randomly, as it is celebrated in Poland Freedom and Civil Rights Daycoinciding with the anniversary of the first partially free elections won by solidarity. But beyond any symbolism: the prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki He criticized the protests, comparing them to a “circus” and saying it makes him “a little funny when the old foxes who have been in politics for years organize an anti-government march and present it as a spontaneous citizen protest”. .