‘PiS Off!’: Montréal protest stands in solidarity against abortion bans in Poland
(From left to right) Malgoryna Wujcik, Sylwia Muracewska, Magda Muracewska, and Kataryna Pawłowska stand in solidarity with women in Poland at Parc Place Canada in Montreal. (Photo by Sarah Pledge Dickson).
MONTREAL - - About seventy people gathered in downtown Montreal at Parc Place Canada Sunday to stand in solidarity with women’s rights protests happening in Poland.
“It’s not political, it’s not religious, it’s for women’s rights,” says Kataryna Pawłowska.
“We are women,” says Sylwia Muracewska, through a neon green megaphone bought for the occasion, “Who else is going to stand up for our rights?”
Poland has about 2,000 legal abortions each year, 98 per cent of which are purportedly done due to severe fetal malformations. On October 22nd, the Polish Parliament ruled these abortions unconstitutional. Now they must meet even more restrictive requirements: rape, incest or risk for the woman’s health.
The decision comes at the hands of the right-wing populist governing party, the Law and Justice Party (PiS) led by Jarosław Kaczyniski. Despite the Roman Catholic church’s power in Poland, 78 per cent of its citizens oppose the ban.
A red rope decorated with hangers frames the protest site, calling attention to the dangers of making abortions less accessible for women all over the world (Photo by Sarah Pledge Dickson).
Since the decision, hundreds of thousands of people across Poland and Europe have taken to the streets to protest the decision. Muarcewska and Pawłowska, both Polish-Canadian citizens, have never organized a protest before but are concerned about what is happening not only in Poland, but all over the world.
“I’m 48, I’ve been quiet all my life,” says Muarcewska, “But believe me, it’s never too late to raise your voice.”
Far left, Malgosia Mikula standing beside mother Dana Mikula holding signs in protest of the new ban on abortions in Poland (Photo by Sarah Pledge Dickson).
“We are part of a global community, but we are Polish” says Malgosia Mikula, holding a sign the reads “PiS Off!” Her and her mother, Dana Mikula, say they want the world to see that they are against the new laws.
“We fought for generations for women’s rights,” says Muarcewska, “We cannot allow for it to go the other way.”