Poland: opposition demonstration gathers "one million" people in Warsaw

In Poland, the opposition managed to gather about "a million" demonstrators in the streets of Warsaw on Sunday, October 1, according to the town hall. The slogan of the rally: the end of the PiS in power and the "change of system".

The "March of the Million Hearts", organized by the opposition in Poland, gathered more than "a million" people in the streets of Warsaw, according to the city hall, on Sunday, October 1, 2023. AFP - WOJTEK RADWANSKI

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About one million people ", according to the Warsaw City Hall, demonstrated on Sunday 1st October in the centre of the Polish capital against the populist-nationalist government, 15 days before the general elections. Organised at the call of Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister and leader of the centrist Civic Coalition bloc, the rally aimed to mobilise voters ahead of the election.

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I want to tell you that we are more than a million," Tusk told the protesters. According to him, it is "the biggest political demonstration in the history of Poland". "We are Poland!" he shouted at the end of the march that filled the capital's main thoroughfares with a compact crowd.

Attacking the populist nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in power, Tusk assured that "Poland deserves better, I am even convinced that Poland deserves the best". "We are here to win the parliamentary elections on 15 October," he said, echoing the demonstrators chanting "We will win!" with Polish and European flags waved.

Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister and ex-President of the European Council, became the leader of the centrist Civic Platform (PO) bloc during the anti-government march in central Warsaw, October 1, 2023. AP - Rafal Oleksiewicz

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A massive rally that puts balm in the heart of Witold, a protester crossed on the spot: "We are together and there is a real hope for the elections in two weeks for Poland to change direction. I am proud to see all these people, in fact this march reminds me of the feeling of the early 1990s when we believed we could fight the communists and change the system, change the face of Poland and we had succeeded. »

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Today, in this march, there are people who represent many political movements, Witold continues. There are centrists, liberals, leftists. What all these people have in common is that we all want to change the system." Many political figures joined the march, including leaders of other opposition parties.

Polls still in favour of PiS

Despite numerous conflicts with the European Union and accusations of undermining the rule of law, Jaroslaw Kaczynski's populist nationalist party PiS maintains a comfortable lead in the polls. The latest figures from the IBRiS institute give him 35% of voting intentions, against 27% for the Civic Coalition. Even though, according to Tusk, polls commissioned by his party show that the PiS's lead has recently narrowed to only two percentage points.

PiS leaders held their own rally in the southern city of Katowice on Sunday. "We don't need to carry paper hearts, we have hearts beating for Poland," said former Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, mocking the symbol of the opposition march.

(With AFP)

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• Poland
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• Donald Tusk