Shortly after the announcement of the controversial judgment of the Polish Constitutional Court, which introduces a practical ban on abortion in Poland, hundreds of thousands of women all over the country took to the streets. Once again, this time in the midle of the pandemic, they stood up to manifest their rights. For the government it was not the first attempt to ban abortion. The government has gone further – it has pushed the border again, which should not be moved. This time something broke in the women, something has changed. The strikes took a different form – they were still peaceful, but they became more direct. Obscene slogans appeared on the banners. However, how else express the powerlessness and frustration that has been growing for a long time when someone wants to decide about your health and life? Feeling of anger and human drama could be seen during the manifestations. The protests that took place every day were more and more dramatic – there were clashes with the police and counter-demonstrators from the fan community. This time the government was well prepared and using, inter alia, propaganda managed to crush the protests. This time the government won.
A protesting woman whose details are collecting by the police „Women’s rights = human rights” Lightning bolt – a symbol of protesting women Eight stars is synonymous with „jebać PiS” (fuck LaJ). PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliowść/Law and Justice) is the main government party in Poland. Young demonstrators gathered at the statue of King Jan III Sobieski located near the local PiS office „No women no kraj (country)” A hanger symbolizing illegal self-performed abortions, which often lead to a woman’s death. There is a lawyer’s number written on his wrist in case of arrest. Hangers, lightning bolts and banner „reject the Godek project” (Kaja Godek is a pro-life activist, the author of the draft ban on abortion) „My body my fu-king choice” Demonstrators placing their banners in front of the church. The Church in Poland is very political and lobbing for abortion. A masked demonstrator stay in front of the poster of Jarosław Kaczyński (the government’s main character) who is looking between the legs of a woman. Graffiti on the wall of the PiS parliamentary office: „Fuck PiS” „Bosak, Bosak, you fucking cunt”. Krzysztof Bosak is the leader of Konfederacja, polish far right wing populist party which is also lobbing for a ban on abortion Protesters blocking the main street in the center of Gdańsk Due to the pandemic and health concerns, many people decided to participate in car protests, blocking major roads in cities. Although the protests were peaceful, the slogans on the banners often contained profanity The moment of fusion the pedestrian and car protest on one of the main roads Protesters with umbrellas – a symbol of women’s strikes. This symbol is often associated with Polish suffragists who, while fighting for the electoral rights, were supposed to knock on the windows of Jozef Pilsudski’s house using umbrellas. „It’s war”, „Where with these hands?!” Flares and clenched fists expressed the anger of the protesters „I don’t want to live in a country where my dog has more rights than I do” Not only women protested, but also many men who didn’t agree with the government’s policy. The „V” (victory) refers to the famous symbol of Solidarity from the communist era. Among the protesters there were also people completely uninterested in the case. „I will give birth to a leftist.” The leftist is a propaganda creation – a person with views different from the government who is presented as an enemy of the motherland. The Old Town of Gdańsk, the inhabitants of tenement houses look at the protesters passing by. Several thousand protesters jumping up and down at once The use of fire fighter sirens in Poland has a long tradition. On the banners appeared not only vulgar slogans, but also extremely funny ones, such as „May you step your bare foot into Lego” or „Konfederacja wears Velcro shoes”. „Disco Blokada” – the series of city blocks during which protesters danced to the rhythms of disco music. A caricature of Jarosław Kaczyński with the tag „Wypierdalam (I’m fucking out of here)”. Police cordons await orders and girl with „choice” banner. The government together with the police forces won. There is not much left after the protests. The protesters quarreled with each other and only a few graphites remained after the national protest movement.
