in Warsaw, thousands of people take to the streets against the government

A huge crowd, Polish and European flags, and thousands of demonstrators, are standing up against the government. According to the organizers, nearly 500,000 people took to the streets of Warsaw (Poland) at the call of the opposition parties. For the Poles in the opposition, the country’s democracy would be threatened by reforms such as that of justice, carried out in 2021, or the toughening of the law on abortion in 2020. Inflation reaches 14% and the country still does not benefit from the European recovery fund, conditional on respect for the rule of law, regularly questioned by the current government.

Elections next fall

“The approaching elections scare the Poles, since they may not be free”, explains the philosopher Anne Zielinska. A figure of the opposition, Donald Tusk, the former President of the European Council, is today the leader of the current protest. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki remains popular thanks to his resolutely anti-Moscow line and his role in welcoming Ukrainian refugees. The Polish legislative elections are due to take place next November.