Tireless Poles stage sit-in to condemn government's court reforms

Outside the Polish prime minister's office, on an elegant tree-lined avenue, a makeshift village of government opponents has sprung up to condemn the reforms to the country's top court, changes they see as a "violation of democracy". For nearly 150 days, dozens of members of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) have camped out here in tents with improvised kitchenettes and colourful banners, taking turns manning the fort to keep the sit-in going. Their source of discontent lies in the reforms of the Constitutional Court that the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party pushed through soon after sweeping to power late last year. The changes to the top court's decision-making rules, which according to the opposition were intended to paralyse the institution, have notably alarmed the European Union and triggered several demonstrations across the country. The KOD activists have been occupying the three tents along a 100-metre (330-foot) stretch of the avenue outside Warsaw's large Lazienski Park since March. They set up the makeshift village in response to the government's refusal to publish a March 9 judgement by the Constitutional Court that would strike down the changes. - 'Democracy is being violated' - "The government refuses to publish the rulings of the constitutional court. And yet that's its job," said Mateusz Kijowski, who founded the KOD civic movement to oppose what critics see as an attempt by the PiS to marginalise the court. "Democracy is being violated. Only global public awareness will help us," he told AFP. Their sit-in is peaceful. Volunteers engage passersby in discussion, distribute pamphlets, gather petition signatures. "We're firmly against any kind of aggressive rebellion. We're protesting with smiles," said KOD activist Slawomir Milowy. "We cherish the freedom we won 26 years ago too much to have it taken away from us now," he told AFP, referring to the events of 1989, when the freedom-fighting Solidarity trade union negotiated a peaceful end to communism in Poland. Passersby have responded every which way to the sit-in: car honks, victory signs, selfies — even swear words. "One time, these Spaniards called out: 'We're with you, we wish we could do the same at home,'" recalls Jerzy Gogol, who is one of the collective's coordinators and proudly wears his "I love KOD" badge. Milowy said nearby residents have even been dropping off food for them. "One woman brings excellent soup every day," said Aleksandra Juziuk, a 71-year-old pensioner who came down from northern Poland to join the protest. She is proud of belonging to KOD, which she calls the country's "second social movement after Solidarity" — which she also joined a quarter century ago. Juziuk may be able to spend 12 straight hours at the village, but others, like lawyer Jerzy, have work commitments to factor in. Still, he tries to come help out for at least three hours a day. - Giant calendar - The volunteers have at their disposal piles of provisions stashed inside the tents like an Aladdin's cave: water bottles, coffee, tea, sweets, newspapers, gadgets. Concerned about their visibility, the volunteers feed the KOD social media accounts with a steady flow of updates. Every day they post a photo of the giant calendar showing how many days have passed since the March 9 judgement. Kijowski said the makeshift village has authorisation from Warsaw mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, who belongs to the liberal Civil Platform (PO) opposition. But a couple of police officers still make daily rounds to check that all the papers are in order, for which Juziuk is grateful: "We thank the police for carrying out controls. They keep us safe." Just a couple of metres away is the tent of another group, Citizens of Poland, which KOD considers "more radical" because of some of their tactics, like protesting before parliament when it is forbidden. "We're ordinary citizens. We distinguish ourselves from KOD but we still support their actions," member Tadeusz Jakrzewski told AFP. "Here, there's no hierarchy, we all have the same position." Their tent is more bareboned, equipped only with essentials like water bottles, cots and warm clothes. An average shift lasts around three days. "Sleeping here at night, it's not really comfortable," volunteer Przemyslaw Duda said, pointing to his spartan cot. "Juggling work and tent duty is also hard. Our children complain." The two groups may be separate, but they are driven by the same goal, according to Duda: to preserve Polish democracy in order to "remain in Europe".