Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has threatened to leave the city police without money for using force against demonstrators during rallies over the abortion law, according to TVN Warszawa.
“If the police continue to use force against protesters in the streets, then (…) I can’t imagine another solution how to suspend support,” the head of the Polish capital criticized the work of law enforcement officers. In his opinion, the ruling Law and Justice party is putting pressure on the police leadership in order to suppress demonstrations by anti-terrorist units.
The law on abortion in Poland is one of the toughest in Europe, but at the end of October 2020, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled on the possibility of tightening it. The court’s decision stated that a woman could not have an abortion, provided that the fetus had incurable pathologies. Abortion is permitted only in cases where she has been raped, incest has occurred or when life and health are threatened.
The abortion decree provoked massive protests; services were disrupted in some churches. Recently, conservative values have played an increasing role in the public life of Poland.