Protests grow in Poland as political crisis deepens

[tenderfoot]

The political fighting over media access and the budget vote is the latest controversy to hit the Polish government. Since coming into power a little more than a year ago, the socially conservative Law and Justice government has launched root-and-branch overhauls of the country's highest court, publically run media, the armed forces and the civil service in a campaign it claims is necessary to modernize the institutions and rid them of bias and corruption.

The protests in Warsaw came after the government's plan to limit media access to lawmakers.

But to its critics, the campaign's real goal is to undermine the basic principles of democracy and try to turn the Central European country into a one-party state once again. The policies have also deepened and widened a bitter political divide in Poland that, at the moment, appears beyond any hope of reconciliation.

The Polish government is also under scrutiny by the European Union for alleged violations of rule of law, while at the same time Poland's hard-won international reputation as a successful and stable state with a buoyant economy has taken a battering.
Protesters have vowed to take to the streets again to keep the pressure on the government.

"We will be on the streets until they are done destroying the country," Mateusz Kijowski, the leader of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy -- the movement that has spearheaded protests since Law and Justice came to power -- told demonstrators Saturday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/17/europe/poland-political-protests/


Not getting the rightward turn this world has taken.

[Kablooie]

1. It's happening everywhere.

We have lived through the highest standards of living in humanity's history but now it's over and the world is dropping like a rock into the depths of fascism and chaos.

[triron]

2. Wonder how much Putin has stirred the pot there?

[Wounded Bear]

4. You can bet your ass he's involved...

he is an enemy to democratic and left leaning institutions everywhere.

[cilla4progress]

3. Ripe for the picking

By Putin.

Replace "Poland" with "US" this time next year.