Poland: Behind the Black Protests

A 100,000 women and men took to the streets in Poland recently in protest against attempts to ban all abortions - and the issue seems to have crystallised a growing unease with the country’s move to the right and the power of the Catholic Church. "We are not putting our umbrellas away" went one of the slogans as women stood in the pouring rain to voice their concerns. The size of the protest surprised even the participants; organised by the feminist movement, it attracted women and men from many different backgrounds.

Where did this surge of activism come from? Some argue that the revolution that began with Solidarnosc in the 1980s ignored the needs and voices of Polish women. Communism may have been defeated, they say, but it has been replaced by a different kind of repression. Maria Margaronis investigates.

(Photo: Polish women take part in a nationwide strike and demonstration to protest against a legislative proposal for a total ban of abortion, Warsaw, 2016. Credit: Getty Images)