WARSAW: In what organizers claim to be one of the largest demonstrations against the government since the end of communism 30 years ago, half a million protesters flooded the streets of central Warsaw on Sunday.
Lech Walesa, the former Polish president, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who played a pivotal role in the fight against communism, joined opposition figures at the forefront of the march ahead of legislative elections scheduled for the autumn.
People from all corners of the country heeded the call of former prime minister Donald Tusk, leader of the centrist opposition party Civic Platform (PO), to protest against “the high cost of living, swindling and lying, and for democracy, free elections, and the EU.”
Opposition leaders, representing various parties, urged their supporters to participate in the rally against the nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS) led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Warsaw Protesters Say “No to Authoritarian Poland”
According to the organizers’ spokesman Jan Grabiec, “City Hall estimates (the number of protesters) at 500,000 now.” Demonstrators adorned in the nation’s red and white colors brandished placards with slogans such as “Enough’s enough,” “No to authoritarian Poland,” and held the ruling PiS party responsible for skyrocketing prices.
Former European Council head Donald Tusk addressed the crowds during the march, emphasizing the significance of the opposition’s role, comparing it to the fight against communism in the 1980s. Lech Walesa, who led the Solidarity Union’s successful battle against communism, made a rare appearance in politics to support the protesters.
He expressed his patience in waiting for the day when the nationalist party and Jaroslaw Kaczynski would be ousted, declaring, “Mr. Kaczynski, we have come to get you. The day has finally arrived.”
The protest march took place on June 4, the 34th anniversary of Poland’s first partly free elections, which paved the way for the defeat of communism in Europe. Lech Walesa, the leader of Solidarity, became the nation’s first democratically elected president in 1990.
