The announcement of two presidential vetoes has not calmed down the protesters who still – although on a much lesser scale – went to the streets of Polish cities. The demonstrators contest the judicial reforms about to be introduced by the Law and Justice party. On Tuesday evening, they gathered in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Wrocław, Krakow, Białystok and Łódź, just to name some.
Former President Lech Wałęsa showed up at the protest in Gdańsk. He told the demonstrating crowd that he disagreed with the President, who had spoken of vetoing two of the three judiciary bills, on the Supreme Court and on the National Council of the Judiciary. On Tuesday, President Andrzej Duda signed the common courts bill.
According to Wałęsa, this third bill was the most important one.
“When we take legal action, we don’t go to Warsaw. We take action here, and they are going to meddle and squeeze their people in. That’s why in my opinion, this was practically the most important veto, and the President did not live up to the expectations. So I am going to fight”, said Wałęsa.
“This is an attack on our freedom”
In Warsaw, the protesters gathered as usual at Plac Krasińskich, in front of the Supreme Court building, and in Krakowskie Przedmieście outside the Presidential Palace.
“I feel that the protests are working and are powerful, but we must not let it go. This is not all that we have expected”, said one of the protesters. “We must stay alert. We cannot let them draw us into their game, as the situation is dynamic. We don’t know what is going to happen over the next days.”
The protesters argue that none of the bills should have been signed by the President. “This is an attack on our freedom. If someone at the top is in control of the judgments, we don’t like it at all”, said another woman.
“People disapprove of this”
In Wrocław, the protesters got together on Tuesday, 9 pm, outside the district court. They had candles and formed a light chain. Then they walked to the market square.
At Plac Dąbrowskiego in Łódź, protesters picketed in front of the district court building. There were a few hundred people. They held up posters saying “Constitution” and Constitution booklets. “Solidarity is our strength!”, they chanted.
“I think that the protests like this show politicians that people disagree and they give them food for thought”, said one of the protesters in Łódź.
“This is about my future, so I am fighting for it”
Around a hundred people gathered in front of the district court in Białystok on Tuesday night.
“It is an important moment for us to unite”, said a protester in an interview for TVN24. Another young woman stated “I am somewhat concerned, because this is about my future, so I am fighting for it”.
Two vetoes, one signature
On Tuesday, President Andrzej Duda signed a reform of the Law on common courts, which aims at reinforcing the administrative supervision of common courts by the Minister of Justice, the Chancellery of the President informed on the same day.
The President announced during his speech on TV on Monday that he would veto two bills: on the Supreme Court and on the National Council of the Judiciary.
Źródło: tvn24.pl/tłumaczenie Intertext.com.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24