Karolina Micula had used her bare chest in political protest once before.
When Poland’s right-wing government first tried to restrict abortion rights, the actress and singer delivered an intense performance onstage in Wroclaw in 2017 that included her spreading paint in the national colors — white and red — onto her breasts and face, ending with a fist raised high.
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Karolina Micula had used her bare chest in political protest once before.
“A woman’s body is a place of political battle,” the 32-year-old said from her Warsaw apartment in an interview. “My gesture meant that I will do with my body whatever I want to do with it. If I want to stand naked in front of people, I will do it, because it’s my choice.”
Poland already had one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger.
Protesters at first disrupted Masses, shouted obscenities at priests and spray-painted the number of an abortion hotline on church facades. Those early provocative tactics were largely dropped after they triggered a backlash in a society where many cherish Catholic traditions.
The interior minister recently warned that the government would not tolerate “a revolution made by force against the constitutional organs of the Polish state.” Police have been increasingly detaining and charging protesters, and in some cases using tear gas and other force.
“They did it in this critical moment when everyone was scared of the pandemic,” said Michnik. She described feeling extremely lonely and fragile when the court ruling came down.
The recent protests have certainly become a political awakening for Polish youth, but older Poles also have taken part. They are led by the Women's Strike, a group of female activists, but many men have also joined in. What began as a revolt against an abortion ruling has become a larger struggle for democracy and human rights.
Gabe Wilczynska, 19, has so far this year joined rallies for LGBT rights, racial justice in the U.S., and against sexual violence. With political convictions shaped by having been raped by a boy in high school, Wilczynska, who identifies as a lesbian and as non-binary, has gotten five court citations for involvement in the recent protests.
The decision to have weekly, rather than daily, protests, for example, was inspired by what is happening in Belarus, the goal being to keep people from getting worn down by daily protests, Micula said.
No matter what happens politically in the short term, in the longer term, “we are winning,” she said.
A demonstrator, with the phone number of a legal councilor written on their arm, holds the Polish flag during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Nina Michnik, a Polish student of Arabic studies and philosophy shows her arm with the phone number of a legal counselor written on in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Protesters write phone numbers of lawyers on their hands in case the are detained by police. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
A demonstrator takes part in a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters stand by a fence after writing "Stop Police Violence" on it in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters glue anti-abortion ban messages on a bridge in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters write anti-abortion ban messages on a wall in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
A demonstrator holds a banner during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
When the authorities tried again to impose a near-total ban on abortion in October this year, Micula, along with a friend, again stripped to her waist and stood on top of a car at a busy Warsaw intersection during a protest, holding a flare high and giving the middle finger.
A riot policeman holding a tear gas canister uses his shield to push a demonstrator during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
“A woman’s body is a place of political battle,” the 32-year-old said from her Warsaw apartment in an interview. “My gesture meant that I will do with my body whatever I want to do with it. If I want to stand naked in front of people, I will do it, because it’s my choice.”
Micula's friend had just come from physiotherapy following a double mastectomy and wanted to encourage other protesters by showing her tattooed chest. Theirs is among many taboo-breaking acts by furious women in Poland in the past weeks.
The upheaval began when Poland's constitutional court, packed with loyalists of the conservative ruling party, ruled Oct. 22 to ban abortions in cases of congenital fetal defects, even if the fetus has no chance of survival.
People take part in a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The banner reads "Now I know why Agnes doesn't live here anymore" a reference to a Polish popular song. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Poland already had one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling party leader and Poland's most powerful politician, had said he wanted even nonviable fetuses to be carried to birth, so they can be given a baptism, a name and a burial.
The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell.
Medical staff attend to a journalist affected by tear gas fired by police during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Polish police came under criticism for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters at first disrupted Masses, shouted obscenities at priests and spray-painted the number of an abortion hotline on church facades. Those early provocative tactics were largely dropped after they triggered a backlash in a society where many cherish Catholic traditions.
They continued their protests on the streets, however, refusing to be cowed by the authorities or by the pandemic.
“My water has broken. I am delivering a revolution,” said one sign at a protest in Warsaw on Nov. 18, expressing a view held by an increasing number of protesters.
A riot policeman stands behind a shield during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Polish police came under criticism for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
The interior minister recently warned that the government would not tolerate “a revolution made by force against the constitutional organs of the Polish state.” Police have been increasingly detaining and charging protesters, and in some cases using tear gas and other force.
Still, amid the massive social upheaval, the government has not formally implemented the court ruling and has spoken of coming up with a new law. But reproductive rights activists say that hospitals are already refusing to carry out abortions of congenitally damaged fetuses.
The governing party’s attempt to ban abortion, with the use of a court packed with loyalists and during a pandemic, seemed excessively cruel to 21-year-old Nina Michnik, a student of Arabic studies and philosophy.
Demonstrators wear masks with the red lightning bold, a symbol of the pro-choice movement, during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The upheaval began when the constitutional court, packed with loyalists of the conservative ruling party, ruled Oct. 22 to ban abortions in cases of congenital fetal defects, even if the fetus has no chance of survival. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
“They did it in this critical moment when everyone was scared of the pandemic,” said Michnik. She described feeling extremely lonely and fragile when the court ruling came down.
“They caught us in this very sensitive moment,” Michnik said. “That’s why we were so angry.”
While she was stuck at home by the country's coronavirus lockdown, Michnik had stopped the boxing workouts she loves. After the protests erupted, she began working out again and joined a group that scans protests for far-right troublemakers.
A woman gestures while speaking to riot policemen during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The upheaval began when the constitutional court, packed with loyalists of the conservative ruling party, ruled Oct. 22 to ban abortions in cases of congenital fetal defects, even if the fetus has no chance of survival. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
The recent protests have certainly become a political awakening for Polish youth, but older Poles also have taken part. They are led by the Women's Strike, a group of female activists, but many men have also joined in. What began as a revolt against an abortion ruling has become a larger struggle for democracy and human rights.
Before the court ruling, the people on the front lines of Poland's culture war had been LGBT rights activists who were frequently denounced by government and church leaders as a threat to Poland’s culture and families.
Those grievances have now been woven together into one larger struggle against a government that the protesters hope to eventually bring down. Rainbow flags are held high at all the abortion protests.
Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Gay Radical Camp Stands With Women" during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Before the court ruling, the people on the front lines of Poland's culture war had been LGBT rights activists who were frequently denounced by government and church leaders as a threat to Poland's culture and families. Those grievances have now been woven together into one larger struggle against a government that the protesters hope to eventually bring down.(AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Gabe Wilczynska, 19, has so far this year joined rallies for LGBT rights, racial justice in the U.S., and against sexual violence. With political convictions shaped by having been raped by a boy in high school, Wilczynska, who identifies as a lesbian and as non-binary, has gotten five court citations for involvement in the recent protests.
Wilczynska’s forms of protests have included dressing in a red handmaid costume to protest the government’s “attempts to control our bodies,” and joining a group that has pasted slogans at night on city walls with messages including: “My uterus is not a coffin,” and "Abortion is a right not a favor.”
In interviews, protesters often say they feel a connection with the women of neighboring Belarus, who have emerged as a driving force in an uprising against the regime of longtime authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Marta Lempart, one of leaders of Women's Strike, the key organization beyond the protests, holds a flare during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling party leader and Poland's most powerful politician, had said he wanted even nonviable fetuses to be carried to birth, so they can be given a baptism, a name and a burial. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
The decision to have weekly, rather than daily, protests, for example, was inspired by what is happening in Belarus, the goal being to keep people from getting worn down by daily protests, Micula said.
Conscious of the global battles between authoritarian and democratic forces, some Poles are also putting faith in U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to encourage democracy and human rights.
Micula said she is hopeful that a new, better society is being born now, her hope bolstered by the sight of young people dancing on the streets during the protests and their solidarity with each other.
Polish actress and singer Karolina Micula poses for a portrait wearing a scarf thet reads "Women's Strike - Safe, Free, Legal Abortion" in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. When Poland's right-wing government first tried to restrict abortion rights, the actress and singer delivered an intense performance onstage in Wroclaw in 2017 that included her spreading paint in the national colors — white and red — onto her breasts and face, ending with a fist raised high. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
No matter what happens politically in the short term, in the longer term, “we are winning,” she said.
“The social revolution is already happening," she continued. "Society is changing.”
Nina Michnik, a Polish student of Arabic studies and philosophy poses for a portrait together with her dogs in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
A demonstrator, with the phone number of a legal councilor written on their arm, holds the Polish flag during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Nina Michnik, a Polish student of Arabic studies and philosophy shows her arm with the phone number of a legal counselor written on in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Protesters write phone numbers of lawyers on their hands in case the are detained by police. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
A demonstrator takes part in a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters stand by a fence after writing "Stop Police Violence" on it in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters glue anti-abortion ban messages on a bridge in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
Protesters write anti-abortion ban messages on a wall in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. The rage of Polish women, and many men as well, erupted onto the streets across the country, growing into the largest protest movement in the three decades since communism fell. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)
A demonstrator holds a banner during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the ruling would mean that the only legal reasons for abortion would be rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. (AP PhotoAgata Grzybowska)