Anti PiS government protests

[pjotr]

Fifty thousand protest in Warsaw against ruling party

12.12.2015 15:43

Thousands took to the streets of several Polish cities Saturday to protest against what they claim is an erosion of democracy under the country’s new Law and Justice (PiS) government.


Protesters march to the Presidential Palace in a protest held under the slogan "Citizens for Democracy." Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

The main demonstration, under the slogan of "Citizens for Democracy," began in Warsaw at noon. The turnout far surpassed the expectations of the organisers, with some 50,000 people taking part in the march, according to the city authorities.
Organised by a group called the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, the demonstration protested against the ruling Law and Justice party’s recent amendments to the law on the Constitutional Tribunal.
The protesters, gathered in front of the seat of the Constitutional Tribunal, marched past the Polish Parliament to the Presidential Palace, chanting “We will defend democracy” and “Freedom, equality and democracy.”



The event was attended by members of the opposition from across the spectrum, including previously ruling Civic Platform (PO), Polish Peoples’ Party (PSL), Nowoczesna and the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD).
“This is not only about the Tribunal, more is at stake than one legal clause or judge,” former labour minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told the gathered crowds. “We need to take note of the preamble to Poland’s Constitution which points to the interests of all citizens and not the interests of just one party,” he said.
Opponents have accused PiS, which swept to power in general elections in October, of forcing through its own choice of judges to the Constitutional Tribunal in breach of democratic norms. However, PiS says that by selecting five new judges it was righting unfair appointments by the previous Civic Platform (PO) government towards the end of its term in power.
Similar protests were held in the eastern city of Lublin, Poznań, mid-western Poland, and Wrocław, in the south-west, among others. On Sunday, another demonstration will be held in the northern city of Gdańsk. (aba/rk)

Source: IAR

[pjotr]

[Bonobo]

Emotions are high on both sides.

A counter demonstration by ruling PiS and its followers took place on the next day. During the rally, as usual, Kaczyński offended his opponents calling them traitors and worse category citizens who are trying to defend the system.

[pjotr]

Rival marches in Warsaw mark martial law anniversary

13.12.2015 10:59

Several marches are to take place in the capital throughout Sunday, marking the anniversary of martial law, imposed in Poland by the then communist leadership 34 years ago today.


Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk

One of the biggest commemorative events to be held in Warsaw is the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party's fifth March of Freedom and Solidarity, to begin at 1pm local time. The protesters, expected to number 10,000, are to show their support for the ruling government, which rose to power after the 25 October parliamentary elections, and President Andrzej Duda, formerly a PIS member.
"Let us gather at the march to show Poland that those who want to deceive Poles will not have public support, while those who act in the country's interest will receive such backing," party leader Jarosław Kaczyński said ahead of the event on Thursday.
As a way of commemorating the commnunist-imposed martial law of 1981, other groups of citizens are to take to the streets to speak out on the ruling Law and Justice's recent amendments to the law on the Constitutional Tribunal, a highly contentious issue in Polish society.

The opposition has fiercely criticised Law and Justice for pushing through the appointment of five judges in the 15-member Constitutional Tribunal in what the critics say was a breach of democratic standards. PiS itself says the step, pre-empting a Constitutional court ruling on the matter, overrides unfair appointments of the previous Civic Platform government shortly before ending its term in office.
An hour earlier, another group will protest against what they consider a distorted coverage of developments linked to the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland's mainstream media, critical of the PiS government.
Also, this evening, two separate protests of those opposing Law and Justice policies are to take place outside the home of PiS chairman and former prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński. The demonstrations allude to an annual vigil outside the house of former communist martial law leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski until his death in May 2014. For years, hundreds of citizens had been gathering at the site to commemorate the brutal crackdown of the anti-communist opposition, unleashed with the imposition of martial law on 13 December 1981. (aba/pk/rk)


PiS chairman and former prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński

Source: PAP, IAR

[pjotr]

Warsaw Business Journal

Pis amendments to Constitutional Tribunal ruled unconstitutional

December 10, 2015 Wojciech Rylukowski


Demonstrators cheer before the Constitutional Tribunal building after the special court partly approved a move concerning its composition made by the previous ruling liberal Civic Platform party, in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015. In an escalating political row between the new ruling Law and Justice party and the Civic Platform, both parties seem to have bent the law while trying to appoint judges to the special court. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

On Wednesday, The Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some of the amendments to the law passed by the ruling party PiS in November related to the Constitutional Tribunal are unconstitutional, further exacerbating the crisis into which Poland had recently plunged.


Members of the opposition party Civic Platform hold up copies of Poland’s constitution to protest a move by the new right-wing government to put five of its supporters on the Constitutional Tribunal, in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015. The appointments would replace recent appointments made by Civic Platform before it lost power. Critics of the government say Poland is in a constitutional crisis and the government is violating democratic norms. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The constitutional court said that the shortening of the term of the head and deputy head of the Tribunal was illegal. The court also said that the beginning of a judge’s term in office cannot be dependent on the swearing-in by the president. As a result, the Constitutional Tribunal confirmed that the choice of three judges by parliament in October is valid and PiS had no right to choose the another three to replace them in November.

The issue concerning the Constitutional Tribunal has been dragging on for more than two weeks.

In November, PiS and Kukiz’ 15 passed a new bill on the Constitutional Tribunal, on the basis of which it had annulled the appointment of all five judges chosen by the previous parliament in October. PiS argued that two of them had been nominated prematurely to replace judges whose terms were due to end in December. Last week, the Sejm, with votes from Law and Justice (PiS), voted in five new Constitutional Tribunal judges presented by PiS.

The following day, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that a paragraph of the amendment to the law on the Constitutional Tribunal, adopted by the Sejm in June on the basis of which two out of five judges were elected in October, was not constitutional. The choice of the remaining three has been ruled valid. Thus, the Constitutional Tribunal obliged the president to swear them in.

However, the President had refused do to so. Instead he received oaths from all five judges chosen by PiS in November.

[pjotr]

Jaga reacted to my post on the other Forum (the same like this one), I quote her:

"Pieter, thanks for posting. It is bad that they had conflicting marches but it was good that the opposition realized that this new government goes beyond their worst nightmares. Nobody expect so much changes so fast - firing constitutional judges, firing thousands of administration workers etc."

My reply was:

Dear Jaga,

Firing constitutional judges and thousands of administration workers is a bad start of a government and a bad sign for Polish democracy. The West doesn't know what impact that has on Poland. We hardly hear it on the news over here. I had to read it in this thread from your reply and to read Polish news (Polish radio), or The Warsaw Business Voice every now and then to be informed about Poland. That is also a reason why this Forum (Jaga's Froum) and Bo's Forum are so valuable to us.

I hope that mass demonstrations of PO (Civic Platform), PSL (the Polish Peoples Party), the liberal political party Nowoczesna and the Centrolew of Zjednoczona Lewica(SLD plus Unia Pracy, Twój Ruch, Partia Zieloni and Polish Socialist Party (PPS) ), the new leftwing political party Razem, and Polish leftwing intellectuals of Krytyka Polityczna ( www.krytykapolityczna.pl/ ) will continue to oppose these restrictions and setbacks in the Polish democracy. The Polish legal system is under threat and thus the fact that the separation of powers, the trias politica principle don't exist anymore under the rule of the present government.

Cheers,
Pieter

[pjotr]

Poland protests: Thousands rally to support Law and Justice party



Thousands of people marched through Warsaw to show support for the ruling Law and Justice party following anti-government protests on Saturday.
The demonstrators chanted the name of the party's leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the party, at a rally on Sunday.
It follows protests organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy.
The group accuses Poland's government of trying to manipulate state institutions.


Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and President Andrzej Duda

Tensions rose in Poland after the conservative Law and Justice party attempted to replace five out of 15 judges of the constitutional court.
The opposition said the move was illegal, with MPs describing it as "a creeping coup d'etat".
The Law and Justice party argued it needed to appoint new judges to ensure a balance of power. It accused the Civic Platform party - which came second in elections after governing Poland for eight years - of refusing to accept the election results.
"We won the election, but we have no right to set laws and remodel Poland," Mr Kaczynski said to the crowds on Sunday.
"This court is supposed to be the stronghold... defending the system, defending all that has been bad and disgraceful in the last 26 years."

[pjotr]

Dec 13, 2015 23:19:50 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Emotions are high on both sides.

A counter demonstration by ruling PiS and its followers took place on the next day. During the rally, as usual, Kaczyński offended his opponents calling them traitors and worse category citizens who are trying to defend the system.

Seems that Poland is polarized like the USA and other democracies in the world today. A wave of nationalism and new rightwing populism is rolling over Europe. In Central- and Eastern European countries National Conservative regimes gained power and are changing the political and legal systems in Hungary, Poland and the Russian Federation.

In Western-Europe the Nationalist and rightwing populist movements are in the opposition and are making the traditional democratic political parties and politicians of the center right and center left nervous. Anti-immigration, anti-political elite (of the parliamentarian democratic institutions), anti-Brussels and anti-European integration forces gain power. The people who support moderate centrist or traditional leftwing and rightwing parties are worried.

A Dutch referendum will be held on an EU agreement for closer relations with Ukraine, after 427,000 people backed a citizens' initiative. I believe that a majority will vote no in this referendum, because people consider Ukraine to be a corrupt, nepotist country with a lot of crime and contrabande. It will also be a vote against Brussels and an expansion of the EU. But that is just my subjective prediction. The Referendum must stil be held.

I hope that the Poles can remain stability, the economical progress it has made in the last 11 years. And that unconstitutional and unlawful decisions can be made undone. If the government continues with the present course, civil unrest and large demonstrations will continue to take place and disrupt the peace in society.

In July 2006 PiS formed a majority government with the populist Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland and nationalist League of Polish Families, headed by Jarosław Kaczyński. Association with these parties, on the margins of Polish politics, severely affected the reputation of PiS. When accusations of corruption and sexual harassment against the Andrzej Lepper, the leader of Self Defense, surfaced, PiS chose to end the coalition and called for new elections.

Today PiS alone can rule, but it has to take care of party wings and dissidents. It should not have Samoobrona and League of Polish Families like elements which can disrupt the unity of the party and the government. PiS is not PO and will have a different course. But governing is also making compromises. So PiS will have to be pragmatic and realistic. They have government experience.

They have fierce resistance from an opposition. Ofcourse the Civic Platform (PO) is pissed that after nearly a decade of succesful economical and financial governance and rule it had to give power away to PiS. So PO will give PiS a hard time from the opposition benches in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

Cheers,
Pieter

[pjotr]

jagahost.proboards.com/thread/18589/protest-warsaw-ruling-party?page=1&scrollTo=97452

[Bonobo]

Dec 14, 2015 1:36:45 GMT 1 pjotr said:

1 Seems that Poland is polarized like the USA and other democracies in the world today.


2 Anti-immigration, anti-political elite (of the parliamentarian democratic institutions), anti-Brussels and anti-European integration forces gain power.



3 A Dutch referendum will be held on an EU agreement for closer relations with Ukraine, after 427,000 people backed a citizens' initiative. I believe that a majority will vote no in this referendum, because people consider Ukraine to be a corrupt, nepotist country with a lot of crime and contrabande. It will also be a vote against Brussels and an expansion of the EU. But that is just my subjective prediction. The Referendum must stil be held.



4 I hope that the Poles can remain stability, the economical progress it has made in the last 11 years.



5 If the government continues with the present course, civil unrest and large demonstrations will continue to take place and disrupt the peace in society.


6 But governing is also making compromises. So PiS will have to be pragmatic and realistic. They have government experience.

7 They have fierce resistance from an opposition. Ofcourse the Civic Platform (PO) is pissed that after nearly a decade of succesful economical and financial governance and rule it had to give power away to PiS. So PO will give PiS a hard time from the opposition benches in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

Cheers,
Pieter

1 But there are still countries where societies aren`t so divided. What about Switzerland?

2 Le Pen party in France, slowly but steadily.

3. The Dutch reject Ukraine as a useless barbarian, Poles welcome it as a shield against Russia.

4 PiS has already declared they would allow a higher deficit next year.

5 Yes, and the society will get stuck in stupid brawls for years.

6 Unfortunately, this sounds like wishful thinking. Those guys are not sensible, pragmatic people. They are obsessed their sick ideology. They are led by a manic type who once greatly contributed to his beloved brother`s death and today is desperately trying to push it to the back of his mind.

7 It seems PO is being outrun by a new formation: Nowoczesna - Modern (Poland), led by Petru.

[pjotr]

Dec 18, 2015 21:44:33 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Dec 14, 2015 1:36:45 GMT 1 pjotr said:

1 Seems that Poland is polarized like the USA and other democracies in the world today.


2 Anti-immigration, anti-political elite (of the parliamentarian democratic institutions), anti-Brussels and anti-European integration forces gain power.



3 A Dutch referendum will be held on an EU agreement for closer relations with Ukraine, after 427,000 people backed a citizens' initiative. I believe that a majority will vote no in this referendum, because people consider Ukraine to be a corrupt, nepotist country with a lot of crime and contrabande. It will also be a vote against Brussels and an expansion of the EU. But that is just my subjective prediction. The Referendum must stil be held.



4 I hope that the Poles can remain stability, the economical progress it has made in the last 11 years.



5 If the government continues with the present course, civil unrest and large demonstrations will continue to take place and disrupt the peace in society.


6 But governing is also making compromises. So PiS will have to be pragmatic and realistic. They have government experience.

7 They have fierce resistance from an opposition. Ofcourse the Civic Platform (PO) is pissed that after nearly a decade of succesful economical and financial governance and rule it had to give power away to PiS. So PO will give PiS a hard time from the opposition benches in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

Cheers,
Pieter

1 But there are still countries where societies aren`t so divided. What about Switzerland?

2 Le Pen party in France, slowly but steadily.

3. The Dutch reject Ukraine as a useless barbarian, Poles welcome it as a shield against Russia.

4 PiS has already declared they would allow a higher deficit next year.

5 Yes, and the society will get stuck in stupid brawls for years.

6 Unfortunately, this sounds like wishful thinking. Those guys are not sensible, pragmatic people. They are obsessed their sick ideology. They are led by a manic type who once greatly contributed to his beloved brother`s death and today is desperately trying to push it to the back of his mind.

7 It seems PO is being outrun by a new formation: Nowoczesna - Modern (Poland), led by Petru.

About point 5, Lech Wałęsa was mentioned in the Dutch and German media. A short fragment of his interview for the Polish tv was shown. Wałęsa warns for a civil war in Poland. You would say isn't that a little bit exaggerated? Yes, Poland is polarised, but that is normal in a democracy which is divided between conservative and liberal, extreme and moderate and right and left. Today Poland is divided between one sort of rightwing politics on one side (PiS of Jarosław Kaczyński) and another form of rightwing politics on the other side (PO-Civic Platform) which is joined by other center-right (Nowoczesna), center-left (Razem) and leftwing SLD) parties, and probably PSL, Unia Pracy, Twój Ruch, Partia Zieloni and the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) too. And how about the Polish leftwing intellectuals of Krytyka Polityczna ( www.krytykapolityczna.pl/ ) Bonobo?

[pjotr]

Polish government policies risk 'civil war,' former leader Walesa says

www.dw.com/en/polish-government-policies-risk-civil-war-former-leader-walesa-says/a-18926068
www.cei.int/node/1767/22988
inside-poland.com/t/referendum-or-civil-war-warns-polands-solidarity-hero-lech-walesa-as-criticism-of-president-and-government-rises/

[pjotr]

Dec 18, 2015 21:44:33 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Dec 14, 2015 1:36:45 GMT 1 pjotr said:

1 Seems that Poland is polarized like the USA and other democracies in the world today.


2 Anti-immigration, anti-political elite (of the parliamentarian democratic institutions), anti-Brussels and anti-European integration forces gain power.



3 A Dutch referendum will be held on an EU agreement for closer relations with Ukraine, after 427,000 people backed a citizens' initiative. I believe that a majority will vote no in this referendum, because people consider Ukraine to be a corrupt, nepotist country with a lot of crime and contrabande. It will also be a vote against Brussels and an expansion of the EU. But that is just my subjective prediction. The Referendum must stil be held.



4 I hope that the Poles can remain stability, the economical progress it has made in the last 11 years.



5 If the government continues with the present course, civil unrest and large demonstrations will continue to take place and disrupt the peace in society.


6 But governing is also making compromises. So PiS will have to be pragmatic and realistic. They have government experience.

7 They have fierce resistance from an opposition. Ofcourse the Civic Platform (PO) is pissed that after nearly a decade of succesful economical and financial governance and rule it had to give power away to PiS. So PO will give PiS a hard time from the opposition benches in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

Cheers,
Pieter

1 But there are still countries where societies aren`t so divided. What about Switzerland?

2 Le Pen party in France, slowly but steadily.

3. The Dutch reject Ukraine as a useless barbarian, Poles welcome it as a shield against Russia.

4 PiS has already declared they would allow a higher deficit next year.

5 Yes, and the society will get stuck in stupid brawls for years.

6 Unfortunately, this sounds like wishful thinking. Those guys are not sensible, pragmatic people. They are obsessed their sick ideology. They are led by a manic type who once greatly contributed to his beloved brother`s death and today is desperately trying to push it to the back of his mind.

7 It seems PO is being outrun by a new formation: Nowoczesna - Modern (Poland), led by Petru.

1. I know little about Switzerland, other than that it only recently changed from it's old kanton based regional democracy to a more national system if I am right. Switzerland's voting system is called semi-direct democracy. Like other European nations Switzerland has it's own rightwing Populist and nationalist party, The Swiss People's Party. That party focusses itself increasingly on issues such as euroscepticism and opposition to mass immigration.



The Swiss People's Party is counterballanced by the other Swiss political parties seat for the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC), the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD), and the Social Democratic Party (SPS/PSS).

2. Yes, Le Pen's Front National is growing steadily. It only lost because the center left and center right parties decided to vote against here. Where the Socialist Party feared it would lose it asked it's supporters to support the party of Nicalos Sarkozy. The Front National gained not a majority anywere due to that democratic front of Center-left and center right. If that Front would'nt have been there and the problems solved.

3. The Dutch don't know Ukraine and Ukrianains and only see something on the televisions or newspapers about Ukraine. That news is not positive and not good news. Civil war, corruption and crime. I perfectly understand that the Poles welcome Ukraine as a shield against Russia. The two share a long Sovjet occupation, a brutal Second World War and a distrust of Russia. The problem is that half of Ukraine is infiltratred by Russians, but also really suffers from corruption, nepotism, human trafficking, contrabande, ultra-nationalist gangs, militia and army units wit neo-nazi like objectives.

4.- So PiS will be a big spender, raise the state debt, and maybe in a few years time Poland will have to face IMF, the World Bank, the EU and inflation, recession and a decrease of it's economical growth like the rest of Europe. It lost the Russian market, it can lose the European market and the rest of the world isn't particular stabile either.

5- Yes, I agree with you that the society will be stuck in stupid brawls between PiS and PO/Nowoczesna for years.

6. Unfortunately these people are unreasonable ractionary Catholic Nationalists with a socialist economic agenda, and rightwing cultural and foreign politics agenda's. I fear that PiS will spoil the good relations with Germany and deteriorate the Polish-EU relations. That his formal rival Tusk is the president of Europe will not help either.

7. I hope that Nowoczesna - Modern (Poland) will not make the same mistakes like PO. It should take the positive things of PO and leave the negative things out. My mother used to say in a self critical remark Poles are stubborn people and can hardly agree on anything. I hope she is wrong and that Poland has changed and that the new generation of Poles is different. You have the saying "Ask two Jews, get three opinions", maybe the same counts for Poles; "Ask two Poles, and you get three opinions." Anyhow Polish politics and the Polish democracy isn't boring. I hope that the Poles will keep defending their democracy against rightwing, leftwing and theocratic dictatorial tendencies.

[tomek]

PO and PIS were ruled in Poland many yers. It is very similar always, no change, only leaders change and they want steal our money on luxurys and homes. Now it is time for fresh politics. I voted for Kukiz becase he is new, never was leader like PO or PIS. He is outside gang of old leaders, he has independence.

[Bonobo]

Jan 19, 2016 14:01:48 GMT 1 tomek said:

PO and PIS were ruled in Poland many yers. It is very similar always, no change, only leaders change and they want steal our money on luxurys and homes. Now it is time for fresh politics. I voted for Kukiz becase he is new, never was leader like PO or PIS. He is outside gang of old leaders, he has independence.

Perhaps he is independent, but very inexperienced as a politician, too. Other old politicians, as you say, will play him for a sap. He has already made a few stupid moves.

[pjotr]

Jan 19, 2016 23:42:28 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Perhaps he is independent, but very inexperienced as a politician, too. Other old politicians, as you say, will play him for a sap. He has already made a few stupid moves.

Whel what do you expect Bo, he is an old Polish Punk rocker!



To much sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, Piwo and Vodka!

[Bonobo]

Yes, he went through alcoholic addiction not so long ago. But that is probably why he seems so appealing to youth, I know that a lot of my mature students voted for him, like Tomek.

[Bonobo]

Tomorrow another series of demonstrations.
Also in Amsterdam.

[Bonobo]

Thousands march in Poland in support of Wałęsa
27.02.2016 16:45
Thousands took to the streets in Warsaw on Saturday in support of Lech Wałęsa, the legendary Solidarity leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president of Poland.

The march, which kicked off in the early afternoon in Warsaw, was staged under the slogan “We, the People”, referring to Wałęsa’s famous address to the US Congress in 1989 after the collapse of communism in Poland.

As a gesture of solidarity with the former President, many demonstrators wore Wałęsa face masks. Files reportedly containing evidence of him having been an informant of the communist secret police in the 1970s were made available on Monday by Poland's Institute of National Remembrance.

Wałęsa denied claims that he had been an informant, but admitted making a mistake. During the march, the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), organising the event, also started to collect signatures to back their draft bill on the Constitutional Tribunal.

According to the Committee a new law is needed to overcome the political crisis caused by the ruling Law and Justice party’s initiatives around the Tribunal which violate democratic norms and the constitutional separation of powers.

The KOD demonstration was attended by the leaders of oppositions parties.

According to a survey by Millward Brown, 51 percent of Poles deem KOD demonstrations pointless against 44 percent to the contrary.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/242510,Thousands-march-in-Poland-in-support-of-Walesa-#sthash.lQjcBzzS.dpuf

[Bonobo]

Lovely posters and banners

Lech Great- man of steel vs Jarosław Sleeper - man of pillow


It pays to be decent


We shall know the truth soon


Youth for Wałęsa


First child will never vote PiS


The only Bolek is from cartoon series





On the day of martial law, I slept till afternoon.


Solidarity with Wałesa


PiS understanding: the communist party member is a patriot, Wałęsa is a traitor.


My hero








Bonaparte showed you the way - after 100 days get out to St. Helen`s Island!




The nation which isn`t brave enough to tell villains they are villains, isn`t worth being a nation.


PiS leader, you nasty monster! (from Silesian folklore)


Don`t change history


Don`t merge positions (of Justice Minister and General Prosecutor)


You stole the moon, you won`t steal Poland.
]

Wałesa prevented Kaczyński from becoming a hero


Lech, nation loves you


We demand the ombudsman for horses


Lech, Czech, Sleeper

[tomek]

Very many peoples come to this demonstratien. What it mean somthing?

[Bonobo]

Isn`t it funny. Today anti-PiS opposition uses the same methods which PiS loved to use when they were in opposition in the past. Unfortunately, while a few years ago these methods were purely patriotic according to PiS, today they reveal the deplorable fury of traitors and worse sort of Poles.

Polish saying says: one who fights with sword, dies from sword. Will those right wingers ever learn basic words of wisdom? I doubt it.


Culture Minister booed at opening
Culture Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński was booed at the festival's inaugural concert over the weekend at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Gliński's attendance came just hours after thousands of Poles marched against the government in defence of a ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal.
The opening concert saw a performance of Beethoven’s Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra as well as the renowned 9th Symphony.Earlier this year, seven Polish writers declined to accept state honours from the minister.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/244705,Jubilee-Beethoven-Festival-underway-in-Poland#sthash.KqGvEEAq.dpuf




Candidate for Polish Senate shouted down on last day of campaign
04.03.2016 17:57
A candidate for the Polish Senate was accused of using an exhibition about her war hero father to canvas votes on the last day of a campaign for a seat in north eastern Poland's Podlaskie region.
Anna Maria Anders on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Artur ReszkoAnna Maria Anders on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko






Anna Maria Anders and Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, both of the Law and Justice party, took part in the opening of an exhibition on Friday at a branch of the State Archives in the town of Suwałki.

However, the speakers were drowned out by a group of hecklers.

“Yes to museum ceremonies, no to rallies here – this is not a place for a political rally,” chanted one of the protesters.

“What you are doing is against the law, it is a violation of electoral law,” he continued.

Several of the protesters were sporting stickers representing the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, which was founded shortly after Law and Justice won the 25 October general election.

The exhibition is dedicated to a formation that fought in WWII under General Władyslaw Anders, father of Anna Maria Anders. The so-called Anders Army fought as part of the British 8th Army, playing a key role in the liberation of Italy.

“Anders was a great patriot, what you are doing is not patriotic,” another protester declared.

Meanwhile, Anna Maria Anders defended her position.

“I'll put it this way, if you are not interested in an exhibition about my father, then you can leave,” she said.

“I'm here as my father's daughter,” she added.

The election for the seat in the Senate takes place on Sunday. The current senator – also of Law and Justice – must stand down after being appointed regional governor. On Saturday, candidates must observe the so-called 'electoral silence.'

After World War II, General Władysław Anders lived in England, where the Polish government-in-exile was based. Anna Maria Anders grew up in the UK and later lived in the US. She was unsuccessful in winning a seat in the Senate during the October elections.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/243387,Candidate-for-Polish-Senate-shouted-down-on-last-day-of-campaign#sthash.SAbAmT4o.dpuf

[Bonobo]

Anti PiS protesters are relentless. They learnt from PiS how to demonstrate. One day there will be one million protesters - stay tuned.

Thousands march in defence of Polish court
12.03.2016 16:35
Thousands marched in Warsaw and other Polish cities on Saturday in defence of the Constitutional Tribunal, which is locked in a stand-off with the government.
Marchers in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, 12 March. PAP/Jacek TurczykMarchers in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, 12 March. PAP/Jacek Turczyk


The protests, which were organised by NGO the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) and opposition party Nowoczesna, were held under the slogan 'let's bring back constitutional order.'

The demonstrations came hot on the heels of the government's confirmation on Saturday that it will not publish a key ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, despite being urged to do so by Council of Europe watchdog the Venice Commission, which Poland's foreign minister had invited to Poland.

“We have been talking about freedom and democracy for almost four months,” KOD leader Mateusz Kijowski said during Saturday's demonstration in Warsaw.

“We are talking about the fact that the Constitutional Tribunal is necessary to defend us,” he said.

The town hall in Warsaw estimated that 50,000 people demonstrated in Warsaw, while the police gave a figure of 15,000. Marches were also held in other Polish cities such as Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Lublin.

Prime Minister Beata Szydło has argued that the Constutional Tribunal's ruling is invalid.

A nation divided

On Monday, leader of the governing Law and Justice party Jarosław Kaczyński attempted to discredit KOD, arguing that advocates of the movement “despise Poland, they want to be someone else, often they say that they want to be Europeans.”

He claimed that KOD members brandish the red and white Polish flag as a “defensive” measure.

Kaczyński's comments were rejected by Kijowski, who said that “it's hard to imagine that you can talk in such a way to your fellow citizens.”
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/244431,Thousands-march-in-defence-of-Polish-court#sthash.HfUPLtrD.dpuf

[Bonobo]

Pl President talked with a few Am senators in Krakow. They were greeted by anti PiS demonstrators.

[Bonobo]

Easter Sunday rally outside Polish PM’s Office
27.03.2016 19:51
Several dozen supporters of an anti-government group staged a rally on Easter Sunday in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Warsaw, urging the government to respect a ruling by the country's Constitutional Tribunal.
Easter Sunday rally in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Rafał GuzEaster Sunday rally in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz


The rally, organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), was smaller and more subdued in tone than other protests staged recently by the group.

KOD leader Mateusz Kijowski said: “We are [here] in a friendly, Easter atmosphere, we are meeting as lovers of democracy, as defenders of our freedom.”

Kijowski said that on April 1 a delegation from his group would visit the United States. He added: "We will meet representatives of the administration, representatives of the Senate, with academics, all at the invitation of Freedom House,” an NGO that conducts research and advocacy on democracy and political freedom.

Sunday’s rally was attended by Ryszard Petru, leader of the opposition Nowoczesna party.

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on March 9 rejected a series of controversial changes to the way it functions introduced by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Critics say the changes were designed to paralyse the Tribunal, amid PiS fears that the court would block key reforms pledged by Law and Justice in the run-up to its landslide election victory in October.

The court's ruling is only binding if officially published by Prime Minister Beata Szydło, which she has refused to do, claiming its decision is invalid.

Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński has said that the decision of the court, which was made by 12 judges rather than the 13 specified in Law and Justice's amendments, is “the private standpoint of a group of certain people”
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/246372,-Easter-Sunday-rally-outside-Polish-PM%E2%80%99s-Office#sthash.2FDSqV7W.dpuf

[Bonobo]

That`s the biggest demonstration so far.



World | Sat May 7, 2016 6:01pm EDT
Related: World
Huge anti-government protest fills Warsaw's ceremonial boulevard
WARSAW | By Wiktor Szary and Jakub Iglewski

Tens of thousands of Poles waving national flags staged a huge protest march through Warsaw on Saturday, accusing the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that took power last year of undermining democracy and putting Poland's European future at risk.

The throng stretched at least 3 km (2 miles) along a ceremonial boulevard leading past the presidential palace, and Warsaw Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, a member of the opposition centrist Civic Platform (PO), put the number of demonstrators at 200,000.

Critics say the nationalist-minded administration is curbing democratic checks and balances and driving a wedge between Poland and its allies in the European Union, which it joined in 2004.

They also say the PiS's euroscepticism could push Poland, a former Soviet satellite, back into the Russian sphere of influence. PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna told the crowd it was the largest demonstration since Poland threw off communist rule in 1989.

Some PiS actions, including attempts to take more direct control of the judiciary and public media, have prompted the EU's executive Commission to launch a "Rule of Law" procedure, which could result in a suspension of Poland's voting rights.

STRONG SUPPORT

The economically left-leaning PiS says it has to strengthen its hold over state institutions to share out the benefits of economic transformation more evenly, and that Poland needs to defend its interests more assertively in the EU.

While anti-government rallies are frequent, the PiS continues to enjoy strong popular support. A recent poll put it at 33 percent, only a few points down from October's election, and still well ahead of the largest opposition party in parliament, the PO.

Saturday's march was organized by various pro-European groupings and parliamentary opposition parties, including the PO and the liberal Modern (Nowoczesna) party, led by a former World Bank economist.

Waving Polish white-and-red and EU flags and chanting "we are and will be in Europe", the protesters demanded the PiS respect EU standards of governance.

"By not respecting European values, PiS is ensuring that we will first find ourselves on the fringes of the European Union, and then outside of it," Modern party spokeswoman Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz told the protesters.

"Only two trains leave from the historic station at which Poland is standing. One is the European Express. The other is the Trans-Siberian Railway."

The PiS released a video on Saturday in which party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, twin brother of late president Lech Kaczynski, said that "today, being in Europe means being in the EU".

"We want to be a member of the European Union, because we want to have an influence on Europe's fate. But our position depends above all on our strength. We have to gain a strong position, become a strong, European nation," Kaczynski said.

(Writing by Wiktor Szary; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-protest-idUSKCN0XY0EY

[Bonobo]

Anti PiS demonstrations on 4 June to celebrate the 1989 elections which gave power to anticommunist opposition.

One remark: This is amazing that so many elederly people take part in those demonstrations. Not all of them have been brainwashed by radical right wing media, including "Catholic" ones. There is still hope.



























Look out, Little Brother is watching.






















I can`t give up freedom.
















Thousands march in Warsaw to celebrate historic vote
04.06.2016 21:37
Thousands of people gathered in central Warsaw on Saturday for an anti-government march commemorating Poland's partially free elections.

The protesters marched under the slogan "Freedom for Everyone, Everyone for Freedom" in memory of the historic ballot of 4 June 1989, which paved the way for democracy and free-market economy after four decades of communist rule.

The anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on Poland's current state of democracy, which, critics say, is under threat under the conservative Law and Justice cabinet. The event was organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), which opposes sweeping reforms the ruling party has pushed through since coming to power in October.

"To those who were born after 4 June 1989 freedom is like the air we breathe − we've become used to it and take it for granted until it is under threat," the head of KOD, Mateusz Kijowski, told the crowds. "We have come here today to demonstrate how important liberty is to us all."

Former heads of state Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Bronisław Komorowski, attended the protest, marching alongside opposition leaders and communist-era activists including Władysław Frasyniuk and Krzysztof Łoziński.

"It's a beautiful rebellion," former president Bronisław Komorowski said in his address, alluding to a recent statement by Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński. Speaking at a coinciding congress of PiS's local branch, the party chief referred to the opposition to the government's sweeping reforms as "a rebellion".

Police put the number of protesters who turned up at the starting point of the march, at Bankowy Square, at 10,000. Warsaw city hall, however, offered a fivefold higher estimate.

Demonstrations, marches and pickets were also held in a number of other Polish cities as well as abroad throughout the day.

Saturday's rallies were the latest in a series of protests staged by KOD against changes carried out by Poland's conservative government. Since taking power in last October's elections, the Law and Justice party has pushed through major overhauls of the country's top court, public media, the civil service and surveillance laws.

The reforms have sparked an outcry from critics who say the changes violate democratic values and principles - accusations which Law and Justice dismisses.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/255724,Thousands-march-in-Warsaw-to-celebrate-historic-vote#sthash.LMrXwvDg.dpuf

[Bonobo]

Custom officers protest
polandsite.proboards.com/post/31914

[Bonobo]

Local protest in Lublin against undemocratic dealings with the Constitutional Tribunal. Again, middle aged and elderly people came. Amazing.

Black protest

[Bonobo]

President Duda was just booed on the street of NYC. A few demonstrators whistled and shouted: Puppet! Constitution! Tribunal! He quickly escaped into the limo.

The Lady showed some sense of humour - she sent the demonstrators kisses.




Hats off to those Poles who took part. You saved Am Polonia`s moral ass with your demonstration.