Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Poland Sees Massive Anti-Government Protest
Over the weekend, some 500,000 Poles marched in Warsaw and other major cities to protest the policies of the current conservative government. The march occurred on the 34th anniversary of the first relatively free election in post-war Poland. The catalyst of this event is a law created ostensibly to create a commission to investigate Russian influence in Poland. Critics say its power to ban people from public office for up to a decade is unconstitutional. The government has already proposed amendments. The opposition is not buying that, hence the demonstrations. In all, this is a healthy sign for Polish democracy. That is a good thing because there is a general election later this year.
The government of Jaroslaw Ksczynski and his Law and Justice Party (PiS in Polish) have curtailed abortion rights, attacked LGBTQ+ rights and presided over post-pandemic inflation. As a result, a rather broad coalition took to the streets. If the election season had not yet begun (Poland does not have campaigns as long as America does), this marked the start of it.
Both sides are painting the situation the nation is in as dire. "The law [that creates the commission] is against [Former PM and leader of the Civic Platform bloc Donald] Tusk but we can all be targeted by this law, because they will not hesitate to use it against anyone," said lawyer and rights activist Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram before the rally. "It is the culmination of the authoritarian system developed in Poland over the past eight years. We are now at a crossroads between being an authoritarian and a democratic country." Meanwhile, Jarosław Kaczynski, the chair of PiS, claimed last week that an opposition vote would mean "the end of Poland."
In all likelihood, the next election will mean neither. Polls suggest the Civic Platform and PiS will fail to get a majority in the Sejm [parliament]. A coalition that relies on smaller parties is almost inevitable. The question is which minor players will hold the balance of power arithmetically and politically.
However, one is very optimistic about the future of democratid Poland. First off, half a million protesters who come out against the government is a sign of democratic health. Second, the government did very little to prevent the protest, acknowledging that the people had the right to do so. Third, if there was any violence, it was isolated and low level. Put differently, Poland has a democratic culture strong enough for dissent to occur without dire consequences.
Poland has replaced Germany as the front-line NATO state necessary for success of the alliance. No one can complain that Poland has not done its bit in dealing with the Russo-Ukrainian war on its doorstep. The Poles have done everything they can short of sending combet troops to the front. They understand that if the aggression is not stopped, it will continue across eastern Europe. Warsaw would be a wonderful prize for the Russian army, and the Poles are making sure their nation is ready and willing to resist.
This journal has no love for PiS nor its policies. This journal finds Civic Platform to be too far to the right. This journal also admires and respects the way the political parties of Poland have behaved in recent months – rivals but never enemies. One is convinced that both major parties as well as a great many of the smaller ones are committed to democracy. They disagree strongly about the direction Poland is to take, but one believes that the dispute will be pursued within the confines of the Polish constitution and within Polish norms. So long as that is the case, the health of democratic Poland is robust.
© Copyright 2023 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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