Donald Tusk at Poznań rally: no one will intimidate us, no one will ever silence us again

Donald Tusk spoke at an opposition rally organized in Poznań on Friday. The city hall said 10,000 people took part, whereas the police claim it was 8,000. At 6 p.m., city mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak welcomed the participants. After a few short speeches, Civic Platform (PO) leader took the floor.

"I'm very happy to see thousands of Poles again, this time in Poznań," PO chief said, referring to the June 4 march in Warsaw. "We have a reason to be proud because we have shown Poland, Europe and the world that Poland is not asleep, that this giant has awoken," he added. We've had enough of this dirt spewed out everyday by their institutions, by their media," Tusk said. The crowd responded chanting "we've had enough".

"I hope they will here us today, that we've had enough," Tusk added.

He also said those in power were at times "trying to block our initiatives, often in an unfair way". "Today I've been informed that the meetings we are planning in Lower Silesia are to attacked by Jarosław Kaczyński's hit groups. We will see in a few days. But just like I said in Warsaw (on June 4), I want to say it here again even louder thanks to your voices: no one will intimidate us, no one will ever silence us again, no one can stop this force, this wave now," the former PM said.

Tusk also addressed the ruling party supporters. "If here in Greater Poland people respect work, trustworthiness, reliability, responsibility, and personal honesty, then think again - you, PiS supporters - if you really wanted holding power in Poland to be based not on people's hard work, not on making Poland a better place to live for everyone, and not on making Poland stronger, but on those in power securing jobs for their friends. In Poznań, in Greater Poland, and everywhere where there are honest, decent people, we work. And PiS sorts out jobs, offices and gigs," he said.

He also accused the ruling camp of "robbing their own homeland, and thus robbing their own supporters". "If you vote for Kaczyński's party, it means either that you allow the to steal, or you want to steal with them. I don't think there is that many people interested in these easy and dirty money," Tusk added.

Donald Tusk stressed that "we want to live in a country where you don't have to be a hero, where you don't have to risk 8 years in prison, for saving a woman's life in a hospital". "As a matter of fact, it's like in some grim TV series, a grim movie, in something completely unrealistic. Today, this government are serial killers of women. They are responsible for the death of these women," he said, referring to the deaths of pregnant women who had not been offered abortion. "Mr Kaczyński, it's on you - these tragedies, these deaths, this mourning."

He also stressed that all rules and regulations preventing women from having access to abortion must "immediately disappear", as well as "allusions on the government's part that anyone who will be saving a woman's life when it's in danger will get punished".