We would like to warmly invite the First Lady, Mrs Agata Duda, to visit us, the protesting and disabled people, here in the Sejm," a Civic Coalition MP Iwona Hartwich said at a press conference in the Sejm on Friday. The protesting disabled people and their carers demand an increase in the social allowance. "We're not asking for a fortune, we're asking for an absolute minimum for a more or less normal life," said Andrzej Sucholewski, one of the protesters. Another one called upon Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek "to immediately launch procedures and provide access to the shower for our disabled children".
Civic Coalition MP Iwona Hartwich announced on Monday (March 6) that a group of disabled persons and their carers have resumed a protest in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm. She also presented a citizens' bill on the social allowance. The protesters also demanded the social allowance be increased to match the national minimum wage, which at the moment is 3,490 gross).
At a Friday's press conference in the Sejm, Hartwich announced that Deputy Minister of Family and Social Affairs Paweł Wdówik had proposed to meet with the protesters. The MP added that the meeting would take place on Monday (March 13) at 1 p.m. and that a delegation of five would go to the ministry. She also said the protesters were waiting for a confirmation of the meeting.
"The minister also said that the people from the Sejm who would take part in the meeting would be allowed to go back to the protest," Hartwich stressed.
Invitation for the presidential couple
Hartwich mentioned that she had heard the First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda saying that, if invited, she would come to the Sejm to meet with the protesters.
"We would like to warmly invite the First Lady, Mrs Agata Duda, to visit us, the protesting and disabled people, here in the Sejm," she added.
"We invite the presidential couple, and we hope the presidential couple will help us to achieve our one demand of increasing the social allowance to match the national minimum wage," said Jakub Hartwich, son of the Civic Coalition MP. He added that the social allowance in the current amount was not enough to make a living, pay the rent and bills.
"This is a really simple project. We have just one demand and this bill could be adopted in five minutes, and it would actually help us to live and function more of less normally. We're not asking for a fortune, we're asking for an absolute minimum for a more or less normal life. I warmly invite the presidential couple to come here and help us," said Andrzej Sucholewski, one of the protesters.
Request for "immediate access to showers"
One of the protesting mothers called upon Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek "to immediately launch procedures and provide access to the shower for our disabled children".
"Since Monday you haven't offered us a single glass of water or a piece of bread. We're not hungry only thanks to Civic Coalition and The Left," she added.
Iwona Hartwich said that parents were forced to wash their children in the sink. "But that's not normal. Madam Speaker, please allow these people to use the showers."
She added that Civic Platform MPs had helped the protesters with some money, while The Left deputies had brought food.
"I'm sure our country won't turn poor if the Chancellery (of the Sejm) provides three meals a day. Soup would be fine, Madam Speaker," Hartwich said.
She also commented on a tweet posted earlier that by the chief of the Sejm Information Centre, Andrzej Grzegrzółka, who had claimed that the protesters had been allowed to use showers at the Sejm hotel.
"No one told us about it," she said at the conference. "The truth is that if we can't go to the Sejm hotel because they won't let us back in. We're talking about the shower downstairs, we can use the lift, take a shower, and return," the MP added.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24