Committee for the Defence of Democracy
|
The KOD logo | |
| Abbreviation | KOD |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2015 |
| Legal status | Association |
| Headquarters | Warsaw |
Region served | Country-wide |
| Website |
komitetobronydemokracji |
The Committee for the Defence of Democracy (Polish: Komitet Obrony Demokracji, KOD) is a Polish civic organization founded in November 2015 as a result of and triggered by the Polish constitutional crisis, 2015. In February 2016 it has declared that it has no intention to transform into a political party.[1] The organization is formally independent of all parties, but is closely tied to the liberal opposition led by Nowoczesna (Modern) and Civic Platform (PO) parties.[2] It is opposed to the government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party.[3]
Mateusz Kijowski is the founder of the organization.
The Committee declared that they will use a resistor as a symbol, like under the Martial law in Poland.[3]
Background
KOD was formed in opposition to actions taken by the governing party, Law and Justice (Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS),[3] which in October 2015 became the first party in post-communist Polish history to control an absolute majority of the seats in the Polish Parliament; and it also is in the control of the Presidency at the same time.[4] While the protest movement has taken issue with a number of PiS-sponsored initiatives, the primary impetus for the formation of KOD was the Parliament’s enactment of a law on November 26, 2015 purporting to invalidate the prior Government’s appointment of five judges to the Polish Constitutional Court and the nomination of new PiS-affiliated judges to replace them.[5][6]
Activity
On November 18, 2015, Krzysztof Łoziński published an article entitled "Necessity to establish KOD"[7] (Polish: "Trzeba założyc KOD")
On November 26, 2015, the members of KOD wrote an open letter entitled “A Letter of the Citizens of the Constitutional State to Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland” asking him to swear in three of the five judges to the Constitutional Court. KOD argued that those three, although not the other two, were duly elected by the previous parliament.[8]
As the disagreements between the governing party and the Constitutional Court continued, KOD called for protests against what it perceives as a breach of the Constitution in violation of democratic norms and the constitutional separation of powers between the legislature, executive branch, and judiciary.[6]
- A large demonstration, which was estimated by “Der Spiegel” and “Le Monde” to include 50,000 demonstrators,[9][10] and at between 17,000 to 20,000 people by the police,[11] took place in front of the headquarters of the Constitutional Court in Warsaw on December 12, 2015. Parallel demonstrations were also held in other major Polish cities, including: Poznań (over 2,000 people), Szczecin (over 2,000 people), Wrocław (approx. 2,000 people), Lublin (500), and Bielsko-Biała (200).
- On December 13, 2015, over 3,000 people demonstrated in Gdańsk..
- On 9th January there were demonstrations on the "Free Media" in 20 cities in Poland.
- On January 23, 40 cities and towns in Poland saw protests about "Defense of Your freedom".
- A demonstration with 70,000 people was held in Warsaw on 27th February; it was called "We, the People".
Supporters
The Committee's actions were supported by several artists and intellectuals, including Agnieszka Holland, Andrzej Wajda, Marek Kondrat, Krystyna Janda, Daniel Olbrychski, Maja Ostaszewska, Robert Więckiewicz, Maja Komorowska, Bronisław Maj, Ewa Lipska, Jan Woleński, Jerzy Zdrada, Karol Modzelewski, Jerzy Vetulani and Jan Hartman.
Footnotes
- ↑ "Oświadczenie KOD w sprawie partii politycznych - Komitet Obrony Demokracji". Komitet Obrony Demokracji (in Polish). Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ↑ Weiss, Clara (February 25, 2016). "Polish Government Expands Police State Powers". Global Research.
- 1 2 3 Orłowski, Maciej (21 November 2015). "Powstał społeczny ruch Komitet Obrony Demokracji. Ma już ponad 20 tys. zwolenników". wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ↑ "Poland's Eurosceptics win outright majority in parliament". Reuters. 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ↑ "Sejm anulował wybór sędziów Trybunału Konstytucyjnego". Newsweek Polska (in Polish). November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- 1 2 Niemitz, Dorota. "Tens of thousands march in Warsaw against constitutional coup - World Socialist Web Site". www.wsws.org. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ↑ "Necessity to establish KOD".
- ↑ "Ostry list Komitetu Obrony Demokracji do Prezydenta!". metrocafe.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ↑ "50 000 manifestants à Varsovie pour " défendre la démocratie "". Le Monde (in French). December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Zehntausende demonstrieren gegen Präsident Duda". Der Spiegel online (in German). December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ↑ Redakcja Radia ZET. "Policja: Na warszawskiej manifestacji KOD 17-20 tys. osób". Policja: Na warszawskiej manifestacji KOD 17-20 tys. osób - Wiadomości. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Komitet Obrony Demokracji. |
- Official website
- English version of the Polish Constitution.