Poles demonstrate for fifth day against judiciary reform

Record ID: 903828

  • Title: Poles demonstrate for fifth day against judiciary reform
  • Date: 24th July 2017
  • Summary: WARSAW, POLAND (‪JULY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE STANDING AT THE FRONT OF THE SUPREME COURT, SHOUTING (Polish): "Solidarity." PEOPLE STANDING WITH CANDLES, FLAGS AND BANNERS, READING (Polish): "Constitution" BANNER READING (Polish) "When dictatorship is a fact, the revolution is a duty." (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) EDITOR IN CHIEF OF GAZETA WYBORCZA DAILY, ADAM MICHNIK, SAYING: "We will not allow them to rule us this way. And if authorities will continue their course, they can be convinced that we will not give up, that we will demand our rights, our freedom and our dignity." VARIOUS PEOPLE STANDING WITH THE CANDLES, APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) PROTESTER, ELZBIETA, SAYING: "Unfortunately if we cannot count on the president we will call on judges to not give up their positions. They also swore on the constitution and can use the constitution in a direct way." (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) PROTESTER, HALINA, SAYING: "I would like this situation to end in a peaceful way, as when we gained freedom in the Solidarity movement times. Hopefully it will go this way and nothing tragic will happen." VARIOUS PEOPLE STANDING AT THE FRONT OF THE SUPREME COURT, SHOUTING (Polish): "We want veto."
  • Embargoed: 7th August 2017 02:05
  • Keywords: Poland protest judiciary reform
  • Location: WARSAW, POLAND
  • City: WARSAW, POLAND
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016QXTR9J
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of protesters gathered across Poland on Sunday (July 23), the fifth day of demonstrations and candle-lit vigils demanding that Polish President Andrzej Duda, veto the bill overhauling the Supreme Court that its critics say will undermine judicial independence.
    Amid mass protests, senators of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party agreed in the early hours of Saturday to a bill that would remove all Supreme Court justices except those hand-picked by the justice minister.
    The overhaul of the judiciary, coupled with the ruling party's drive to expand its powers in other areas, has provoked a crisis in relations with the European Union and sparked one of the biggest political conflicts since Poland overthrew communism in 1989.
    The European Union's executive on Wednesday gave Poland a week to shelve the judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control, or risk sanctions and the United States, Poland's most important ally in NATO, called on Warsaw to make sure that any changes respect the constitution.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register