16/11/2020
Wikipedia reports that protests in Poland are now in their fourth week over a decision by the Constitutional Tribunal to make nearly all instances of abortion in the country illegal. Women's Groups and their allies in the LGBTQ movement and other progressives have united to take demonstrations to the streets and to the Roman Catholic churches that are widely believed to have influences the decision. The demonstrations have apparently been larger than anything seen in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989. The Constituional court had ruled on 22nd October that abortion would now be illegal in cases where the fetus has a disability or incurable illness. Pregnancy can still be terminated in cases of rape, incest or where a woman's life is in danger. Co-ordinated by the campaign group Women's Strike, a broad coalition of organisations have been campaigning hard. On 25th October, sit ins were taking place at several Roman Catholic churches and leafleting took place. The following day, demonstrations in one hundred and fifty towns and cities took place. Them on 28th October, women's rights activists and allies, held a “no to work” economic shutdown by refusing to go into work for the day. Many businesses, in support of the women and allies, allowed them to take the day off without sanction. This reflects the view of the public that fifty four per cent of the population supported the aims of the protesters, a rare development in a country with a strongly misogynistic and homophobic tradition. The situation remains tense in the country, with Amnesty International monitoring alleged heavy handed policing of the demonstrations and the danger of ultranationalists and Nazis who have been organising to attack the women protestors.
