All-Poland Women's Strike: Difference between revisions
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===2016–2017: Creation and early protests=== |
===2016–2017: Creation and early protests=== |
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[[File:Black Monday 2016-10-03 Wrocław, Rynek, Hour K - big banner 1.jpg|thumb|Black Monday protest in Wrocław, 3 October 2016]] |
[[File:Black Monday 2016-10-03 Wrocław, Rynek, Hour K - big banner 1.jpg|thumb|Black Monday protest in Wrocław, 3 October 2016]] |
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All-Poland Women's Strike was created as one of the groups organising the September 2016 [[Abortion in Poland#Black Protest|Black Protests]] against proposed legislation that would have tightened abortion law.<ref name="Guardian_2017raid" /> The protests brought together 100,000 |
All-Poland Women's Strike was created as one of the groups organising the September 2016 [[Abortion in Poland#Black Protest|Black Protests]] against proposed legislation that would have tightened abortion law.<ref name="Guardian_2017raid" /> The protests brought together 100,000 protesters who marched in 143 villages, towns and cities in Poland.<ref name="Guard_2017_abortion_underground" /> Together with Argentinian women's rights activists, the OSK helped launch the [[International Women's Strike]] together with women from 28 other countries in 2017.<ref name="Guardian_2016_AR_PL" /> |
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===2017–present: Repression and continued protests=== |
===2017–present: Repression and continued protests=== |
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Revision as of 17:51, 11 November 2020
| Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet | |
 One of official posters | |
| Formation | September 25, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Founder |
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| Origins | 2016 Black Protest |
The All-Poland Women's Strike (Template:Lang-pl, OSK), is a women's rights social movement in Poland, established in September 2016.[1] It was set up in protest against the rejection by the Sejm of the Polish Parliament of the bill "Save Women", which was considered by the Sejm in parallel to the project "Stop to Abortion". The movement was responsible for the organization of Black Monday, a protest action that took place simultaneously in 147 Polish cities, towns and villages.[2][3]
Structure and key people
In October 2017, Marta Lempart was head of All-Poland Women's Strike.[1] While OSK was a key organiser of the September 2016 Black Protests, the protests themselves were decentralised.[4] The writer Klementyna Suchanow was one of OSK's leaders who proposed the 26 October "walk" to the house of de facto leader of Poland Jarosław Kaczyński, which turned into a 10,000-person protest.[5][6] Suchanow described the tactics for the continuation of the protests as decentralised, up to grassroots initiatives and creativity.[6]
In October 2020, Suchanow stated that the OSK was not a political party, but that some members aimed at becoming members of the Sejm, and that Katarzyna Kotula of the OSK was already a Deputy.[6]
Coordination Council
On 1 November 2020, in response to the widespread demands of the October 2020 protests that extended beyond anger against an abortion-related ruling, OSK established the Consultative Council inspired by the Belarusian Coordination Council that had earlier been created in August 2020, during the 2020 Belarusian protests.[6][7]
History
2016–2017: Creation and early protests
All-Poland Women's Strike was created as one of the groups organising the September 2016 Black Protests against proposed legislation that would have tightened abortion law.[1] The protests brought together 100,000 protesters who marched in 143 villages, towns and cities in Poland.[4] Together with Argentinian women's rights activists, the OSK helped launch the International Women's Strike together with women from 28 other countries in 2017.[8]
2017–present: Repression and continued protests
On 4 October 2017, following protests organised by OSK, police raided the offices of the Women's Rights Centre and Baba in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Łódź and Zielona Góra. The raids were interpreted as intimidation. Marta Lempart, head of OSK, described the raids as "abuse of power" that disurpted the women's work by the confiscation of computers and documents. The police spent nine hours in the office of Baba removing files.[1]
In July 2020, the Polish government considered withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention that aims to prevent violence against women and domestic violence. Two thousand women protested in front of the Ordo Iuris headquarters. Marta Lempart described the government's attitude to women's rights, stating, "This government has been laughing in the faces of victims of gender violence for years."[9]
October 2020 protests
OSK was one of the coordinators of the October 2020 Polish protests that followed the 22 October 2020 Constitutional Tribunal's ruling banning the most commonly used of the three cases allowing a small number of legal abortions in Poland.[10] On 27 October, on behalf of OSK and proposals from citizens, stated that the aims of the protests included a return to the rule of law:[11]
- full women's rights: legal abortion, sex education, and contraception
- interpreting the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling, as stated by the president of the tribunal, Julia Przyłębska, as Przyłębska's personal testimony instead of a legal ruling
- the return of a "real" (independent) Constitutional Tribunal
- the return to a neutral (independent) Supreme Court of Poland that is not controlled by the Law and Justice party (PiS)
- the appointment of a "real" (independent, not someone from ruling party) Polish Ombudsman, to replace Adam Bodnar, who reached the end of his term.
On 28 October 2020, Suchanow stated that the initial involvement of OSK in the protests was to defend women's own rights, not to remove the government. She stated that the aims of the protests had expanded based on comments, slogans and wide discussions with people who had joined the protests.[6]
Suchanow, who had been injured by the police during protests in earlier years, leading to a spinal operation, interpreted a speech by Jarosław Kaczyński as a refusal to withdraw the Constitutional Tribunal ruling and an encouragement of escalation of violence.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d "Police raid offices of women's groups in Poland after protests". The Guardian. 2017-10-05. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Urzędowska D., D.; Suchomska, J. (2020). "Feministki w sieci. Nowe media w działaniach przeciwko ograniczaniu praw kobiet w Polsce" (PDF). Dyskurs & Dialog (in Polish).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "O nas | Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-10-31.
- ^ a b Cocotas, Alex (2017-11-30). "How Poland's far-right government is pushing abortion underground". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Koper, Anna; Goclowski, Marcin (2020-04-03). "Spat over presidential election tests Poland's ruling coalition". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ a b c d e f Szczęśniak, Agata (2020-10-28). "Suchanow: 'Ludzie chcą obalić rząd'" [Suchanow: 'People want to remove the government']. OKO.press (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Karwowska, Anita; Paś, Waldemar (2020-10-27). "Dymisja rządu i Julii Przyłębskiej. Czego jeszcze żąda Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet? Co się wydarzy w środę 28 października?" [Government and Julia Przyłębska to resign. What else does All-Poland Women's Strike want? What will happen on Wednesday 28 October?]. Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ James, Selma (2018-03-08). "Decades after Iceland's 'day off', our women's strike is stronger than ever". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Santora, Marc (2020-07-27). "Poland Considers Leaving Treaty on Domestic Violence, Spurring Outcry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Davies, Christian (2020-10-26). "Polish pro-choice protests continue with blockades and red paint". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Siedlecka, Ewa (2020-10-28). "Siedlecka: To jest wojna, która zmienia się w rewolucję" [Siedlecka: It's war that is changing into revolution]. OKO.press (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
