Those who cannot remember the past ...

courtesy @ewitsoe /Erik Witsoe

 "Beep-beep-beep", two year old Tomek kept saying imitating the rythmical shouting of the protesters right below his windows in Poznan. His father was relieved that the actual words "Fuck PiS*" only translated to the beep-sound in his son's mind.

The protests started last week as the Constitutional Court outruled the possibility of legal abortion of severely damaged foetuses (of which there were 1116 in 2019, less than 0,003% of all live born babies), the demonstration has gained momentum, and the numbers of participants are soaring. What started off last Thursday as spontaneous demonstrations at Poland's de facto leader Jarosław Kaczyński's house, turned into happenings at the Sunday masses, blocking trafic in the rush hour since Monday, and Women's strike on Wednesday. Every evening protesters have gathered in the squares, in front of PiS' head quaters, in front of Ordo Iuris, the organisation believed (and with quite some substance) to have a role in the shadows of governing.

In the political debate (quite the eufemism) members of PiS and the opposition shout incessantly at each other, without paying attention to moderators. The air is toxic and vile for anyone who thought they'd breath the air of democratic debate.

Not only Tomek, the toddler, imitates what he hears. So does Kaczyński, comparing the furious women of the opposition to ruska agentura -  Russian spies, defectors - in a speach that has quickly become a meme comparing him to a toddler in diapers or general Jaruzelski - the man imposing Marshall Law on Poland in the 1980'ies. Kaczyński's rhetoric has a chilling resemblance to the authoritarian propaganda and smearing of political opponents of the former Polish People's Republic. Ironically, Kaczyński was among the people to get Solidarity up and running to finally overthrow the communist regime back in the days.

A sign of an authoritarian regime is the lack of self-irony, and - as has been quoted on numerous occasions including the present situation - those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. 

One may only hope the government reconsiders soon, and start a dialogue with their protesters. This is becoming much more than a question about 179 legal abortions. It has become a question of the survival of Kaczyński's legacy and he's about to repeat history.

*PiS - Prawo i Sprawiedliwość - Law and Justice, the ruling, conservative party.