“Our one clear objective is to defend Polish agriculture so people have food on their tables, and so consumers finally understand the true cost of what they eat,” declares Julita Olszewska, a Podlasie farmer, speaking in a televised interview with a journalist from Telewizja wPolska who attended the protest in the capital yesterday.
Olszewska, who previously faced a legal challenge after posting an uncomfortable online recording, countered remarks made by PSL MP Urszula Pasławska. Pasławska had told Onet that the farmers marching in Warsaw might have included militants aligned with PiS.
“There is no harm in fueling up today. It could have been worse. I heard the PSL MP’s comment about PiS militias,” Olszewska said. “We have a new nickname to share with friends now. There were ‘Russian bunnies’ before; now we are described as militias fighting for our families, our villages, and the consumers who rely on us. If there is nothing constructive to say, better to stay quiet.”
– Olszewska
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Creating division
She noted that the ruling coalition’s pre-protest statements in the capital seemed designed to frighten farmers and foster artificial rifts among demonstrators.
“Why did Minister Kołodziejczak say no real farmer would join this march? They feared us because we could mobilize on our own. The goal was to scare people away; to divide farmers,” she observed.
There were older participants in Warsaw. A woman from Silesia approached and said, “Girl, I believe in you. I come from my own mine.” Instead of speaking up or staying silent, many did neither, and now they are described as hooligans.
– she added.
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Police provocations
Olszewska revealed what she observed from balconies on Wiejska Street where the protest occurred. Stones reportedly flew from those balconies, and the crowd asked whether there were hooligans who owned apartments nearby. “I was in the crowd. The police stood firm, and when a gas cloud rolled with the wind, everyone nearby felt it. This happened three times. The first scream came from the balconies — stones were being thrown. From Wiejska Street. We do not own apartments there; a farmer might pass by to milk cows and then return to Wiejska,” she recalled.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Peasant protests across Poland. Olszewska: They give us pieces to keep quiet because elections are coming
The farmer from Podlasie also observed that among the police there were provocateurs in plain clothes who mingled with the crowd. “One moment a uniformed officer; a short time later, in plain clothes, pushing someone against the railing. We were ready for provocations and stayed vigilant because everything was under scrutiny. Solidarity in the protest carried a sense of grassroots power; the workers’ solidarity waned while farmers rose from the ground. Our single aim remains to safeguard agriculture in Poland so people can prosper, and so consumers truly grasp the cost of what they purchase. They may call us hooligans now, but in a few years they may rely on us for their food.”
– she stated.
“I hope all trade unions that claim to represent our interests press ministers to act, and if a minister remains in place, he should step aside,” Olszewska added bluntly.
She concluded with a call to watch live television broadcasts from Poland for ongoing coverage.
READ ALSO: ONLY HERE. Gembicka: If those responsible for provocations must be held to account, consider Kierwiński’s dismissal; the Confederation demands Kierwiński’s resignation. Bosak on the police response during the protest: It could not have happened without authorization from above. Morawiecki: The new authorities forced peasants to be clubbed, gasped, torn and trampled on the Polish flag. We won’t let them go for this. pn/TV in Poland
Source: wPolityce