The Polish opposition stages massive antigovernment protests in Warsaw

The Polish opposition stages massive antigovernment protests in Warsaw

Demonstrators carry national flags and symbols of various political parties and trade unions

Protests in Poland 01/10/23

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(Sputnik) Tens of thousands of people took part in a large antigovernment rally in Warsaw ahead of parliamentary elections, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday, adding that the event’s organizers brought together people from different regions of the country.

The protest against the policies of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party was organized by former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who currently leads the opposition Civic Platform party. He called on all government critics to join the rally.

The demonstrators carried national flags and symbols of various political parties and unions, the correspondent reported, adding that their posters featured both social and political slogans.

The participants of the rally occupied several streets on highways, especially on Aleje Jerozolimskie, which caused significant traffic jams.

There are large police forces on site, but they do not intervene, the correspondent reported.

CONTINUED AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS

This is the second major rally in the Polish capital since June. This time the protest was joined by abortion rights activists, secularists and LGBTQIA+ activists, the correspondent reported.

In total, more than a million people took part in the antigovernment rally in Warsaw, Tusk later said on X, attaching a photo of the crowd walking along Jana Pawla II Avenue. The Warsaw City Council confirmed Tusk’s words, while the city police said they had never provided data on the number of protest participants.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Poland on October 15th. The winning political force will form a new government. Polls show the ruling party could lose power while opposition parties could win more than half the seats in the country’s parliament if they join forces.