Polish police carry away abortion rights protesters
Police in Poland have carried off protesters blocking a street in Warsaw on the 19th straight day of nationwide anti-government protests that were triggered by the tightening of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's abortion law
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police carried off abortion rights protesters blocking a street in Poland's capital Monday, the 19th straight day of nationwide anti-government protests that were triggered by the tightening of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s abortion law
The protesters were sitting down in the street in Warsaw in front of the Education Ministry to demand the firing of the new minister who has made some statements that have angered abortion rights activists. A few hundred protesters then marched in the neighborhood to drumming and chanted that the right-wing government's policies have made them very angry.
More protests were also held in some other cities, like Katowice or Bialystok, with participants demanding abortion rights for women and for the government to go.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been appealing to people to stay home and express their anger on the internet because of the coronavirus pandemic. Public gatherings have been banned as part of COVID-19 regulations.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in regular peaceful protests that have been held across Poland since Oct. 22 when a constitutional court ruled that abortion of fetuses with congenital defects violates Poland's supreme law.
When the ruling takes effect, at an unspecified date, abortion will be permitted only when a pregnancy endangers a woman's health, or results from crimes like rape or incest.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.