“We’re entering a second stage of the revolution, and everyone’s invited,” said Klementyna Suchanow during an online press conference on 22 December, after two months of mass protests organised by the Polish Women’s Strike.
The demonstrations began in response to a ruling that would ban abortion in cases of severe foetal anomaly in October, but they soon took on a broader anti-government sentiment.
“On the one hand, we’re planning a revolution. On the other, we’re already making plans on what the world should look like once we’re able to manage things ourselves”, said Suchanow.
In November the Polish Women’s Strike set up an advisory council made up of 14 thematic teams, including gender equality, workers’ rights, climate sustainability, education and anti-fascism. With these teams’ help, the group was able to agree upon demands collected from placards and social media posts. The scope of these demands goes far beyond reproductive rights – reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the government.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
