The European Union on Thursday launched legal action against member country Poland over a contentious new law that the nationalist government claims is meant to combat Russian influence but which critics say could be used to persecute opposition...
The European Commission said it believes that the new law “unduly interferes with the democratic process,” and that it “violates the principle of democracy,” and “rights to effective judicial protection.” The EU’s executive branch supervises respect of the bloc’s laws.
It appears to have galvanized public support for the opposition. Over the weekend, around 500,000 people took part in a huge anti-government protest, according to organizers. Citizens traveled from across the country to voice their anger at officials who they say have eroded democratic norms and created fears that the nation is following Hungary and Turkey down the path to autocracy.
The march was held on the anniversary of a crucial moment in Poland’s history, the partly free election on June 4, 1989, which paved the way for the end of communist rule. It took place about five months before the elections, in which the ruling Law and Justice party is fighting for a third term. Brussels is concerned that the law contains a broad and unspecified definition of “Russian influence” and “activities.” It considers that the law “violates the principles of legality and non-retroactivity,” because it could exclude officials from office for a decade for behavior that was legal in the past.
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