Continuing from the previous post, this is a set of pictures from the abortion protests of Warsaw, that took place on Wednesday, 2020/11/18. This was a much smaller event than the previous one, but there was also a lot more happening, including the police actively trying to break up the protest at some point.
Compared to the previous demonstration, not only the amount of people dropped, but also the number of interesting unique signs. This decrease in numbers meant that the atmosphere of the event was more familiar and even with the constant threat of the police following the crowd, people were sticking together as much as possible.
The police is present in high numbers, presumably because the protesters are gathering near the church on plac Trzech Krzyży.While the protest moves towards the old town, the police cuts off half of the crowd separating many protesters from the leaders. The people who manage to get through, demand that the police open up the cordon and let the protest continue undisturbed. Some people find a business opportunity even in the most unlikely places. Masks with the red lightning being sold during the protest. The protesters are waiting at rondo gen. Charles’a de Gaulle’a, one of the most frequented roundabouts of Warsaw for the police to open the cordon and let the separated half of the crowd to pass. The disappointment is palpable as people wait to be reunited with the blocked half of the protest. Pink clouds of smoke surround the protesters as the police forces try to push them away from the roundabout and into the surrounding streets. Presumably to unblock the traffic that is halted by the protest. The police manages to free up the roundabout by a coordinated maneuver of forming multiple cordons and pushing the protesters away. After a short while the separated part of the crowd is let through and the protesters can finally move on as they originally wanted. After the protesters get reunited, they all move to the aptly named Warsaw Insurgents square (plac Powstańców Warszawy). The protesters are projecting the sign of their movement, the lightning, onto the building of the national television. In the last few years the Polish national television has been criticized for being the mouthpiece of the government. Surrounded by police on two sides of the square, the protest proceeds with people singing and demanding the current governing party, PiS, to leave.
Continue to the next protest here
