Thousands protest as Poland defies EU
WARSAW: Tens of thousands of Poles protested yesterday against a new law that allows Parliament to appoint Supreme Court judges, defying a European Union warning that the move undermines democracy and the rule of law.
The Bill, sponsored by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), was passed by Parliament’s lower house after tumultuous debate. That triggered one of the biggest protests since the PiS came to power in late 2015.
The vote came a day after the EU gave its largest formerly communist member state a week to shelve judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control.
If Warsaw’s nationalist-minded PiS does not back down, the Government could face fines and even a suspension of voting rights, although other eurosceptics in the EU, notably Hungary, will probably veto strict punishment.
In the bestcase scenario, Poland’s clout in Brussels will wane further, damaged by mounting frustration among its EU peers arising from bitter disputes over issues such as migrant quotas and nature conservation.
‘‘We will . . . not allow them to trample European values,’’ Wladyslaw KosiniakKamysz, leader of the Polish People’s Party (PSL), told a crowd in Warsaw.
‘‘We will not allow ourselves to be pushed out of the European Union.’’
A crowd in front of the Presidential Palace, carrying Polish and EU flags, responded by chanting, ‘‘Free Poland, European!’’ ‘‘Free Poland, European!’’
Sources close to the Presidential Palace told Reuters that President Andrzej Duda was on vacation on the Baltic seacoast.
Warsaw City Hall estimated the crowd at more than 50,000, while police put it at 14,000. Tens of thousands demonstrated in other Polish cities.
‘‘I wanted to be here on this historic day when our freedoms for which we fought for more than 25 years are being taken away,’’ said Piotr (48), who came to the protests in Warsaw with his 5yearold son.
The Government says the changes are needed to make courts accountable and to ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the ‘‘elites’’ it says are the support base for the centrist opposition. — Reuters