National Post (National Edition)
THOUSANDS MARCH IN ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS
WARSAW Thousands of anti-government protesters marched Tuesday from the former Communist party headquarters in Warsaw to the offices of Poland’s current ruling party, a symbolic route chosen to underline the charge that the government is destroying democracy.
The march was held on the 35th anniversary of martial law being declared by the communist regime in 1981 to crush the Solidarity democracy movement. It was organized by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, a civic rights group that arose in reaction to the policies of the ruling Law and Justice party.
The populist party with a conservative streak has moved quickly since winning control of the government last year to solidify its power by weakening the judiciary and assuming more influence over state media, among other steps. The European Union and the United States have criticized the moves.
“I don’t like the way things are going in Poland,” said Joanna Grabowska, a 63-year-old taking part in the march. “I am terrified that democracy and freedom of expression are being taken from us.”
Earlier in the day, Law and Justice Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski said he does not like the style of debate in Poland and said government leaders would make “attempts to introduce some kind of order into the opposition’s activity.”