On Friday, thousands of Polish protesters flooded the streets of Warsaw and other regions of the country, to oppose the tightening of abortion laws in the European country.
Organizers of the protests are members of the Strajk Kobiet (“Women's Strike”) movement, and demand the resignation of the government and the departure of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party in Poland.
Numerous strikes throughout Poland began on Wednesday evening. Late at night on Friday protests were held in the capital, where several thousands of protesters crowded the Warsaw city centre, blocking nearby streets.
Thousands convene in the center of #Warsaw to protest further abortion ban in #Poland #StrajKobiet @VisegradInsight @strajkkobiet pic.twitter.com/MonkpUorHR
— Marysia Ciupka (@MarysiaCiupka) January 29, 2021
Tak wygląda skrzyżowanie Stawki i Lewartowskiego. Trwa @strajkkobiet więcej na @gazeta_wyborcza pic.twitter.com/U2u9T3gDNc
— Dawid Krawczyk (@DJKrawczyk) January 29, 2021
Na Muranowie, Polska wolna od faszyzmu, jest nagłośnienie pic.twitter.com/u6Ys8yBivh
— Jarek Witkowski 📷😜🍏🐧⛺🚴♀️🚂🇵🇱🇪🇺☮😜 (@JarekWitkowski7) January 29, 2021
Demonstrators lit firecrackers and, reportedly, explosives, chanting: "Abortion at will" and "Hands off my body." They also used cans of paint and glue to attach themselves to government buildings.
The transparents here tell a lot: “I will give birth to a leftist for you.” Says this one. #StrajkKobiet #Polska pic.twitter.com/f73dOdk49O
— Jakub Kobera (@KoberaJakub) January 29, 2021
Tak obecnie wygląda sytuacja przy domach centrum w Warszawie. Trwa protest @strajkkobiet więcej na @gazeta_wyborcza pic.twitter.com/vnpOnN2EzD
— Dawid Krawczyk (@DJKrawczyk) January 29, 2021
The police several times blocked the demonstration with cordons, but protesters split into smaller groups to bypass the temporary barriers.
Mickiewicza/Potocka teraz. Całkowicie odcięta, kilkadziesiąt radiowozów. Za policjantami dom Jarosława Kaczyńskiego @RMF24pl pic.twitter.com/N0eSnNIsxx
— Paweł Balinowski (@PBalinowski) January 29, 2021
Polish police arresting feminists and their LGBTQ+ allies last night in Warsaw as they came out to protest against the new near total ban on abortion that came into effect yesterday. #Winning pic.twitter.com/TSpbPSOiJO
— RedPilledPoland (@RedPilledPoland) January 29, 2021
Aresztowania na marszu w Warszawie. #StrajkKobiet 29_01 pic.twitter.com/4Nxhi7KOR5
— SluzbyiObywatel.pl (@SluzbyiObywatel) January 30, 2021
Law enforcement used tear gas against demonstrators, including one of the leaders of Strajk Kobiet, Marta Lempart.
Kolejny sukces @PolskaPolicja. #ACAB pic.twitter.com/kuJRZQNfsN
— Bożena Przyłuska (@BozenaPrzyluska) January 29, 2021
The police, through loudspeakers, called on the mob to disperse, claiming the dangers of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, particularly as mass gatherings in the republic are currently prohibited.
Ruszył protest w Warszawie, rondo Dmowskiego, czy jak nazwały je protestujące - Praw Kobiet - już zablokowane @RMF24pl pic.twitter.com/G0eu6OvWVe
— Paweł Balinowski (@PBalinowski) January 29, 2021
In October 2020, Polish authorities announced their abortion ban covering any instance in which fetal pathology would not threaten the woman's life or health, leaving abortion in the nation legal in cases of rape or incest. The Polish Constitutional Court ruled at the time that this ruling was in contradiction of the country's fundamental laws.
Some Polish members of parliament subsequently asked the court to study the issue, claiming that eugenic abortions violate the rights of human life, citing Article 30 of the Polish Constitution, saying “human life has value in every phase of its evolution, and as a value, the source of which is in the constitutional laws, it should be protected by lawmakers.”
Abortions in Poland are legal only if the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the woman, or if it is the result of rape or incest.
