Several thousand people walked through the streets of Katowice. Police said there were no incidents. Participants of the “Great Silesian Freedom March” expressed their opposition to the government’s policy on the COVID-19 epidemic and vaccination. These they called “the medical experiment.” Medical experts point out that immunization against COVID-19 protects against the severe course of the disease after coronavirus infection.
The participants of the demonstration gathered on Saturday morning at the Monument to the Silesian Insurgents in Katowice. Later they walked through the streets of the city. Two large banners read “Stop sanitary segregation”, “All of Poland united”. Many protesters had state flags in their hands. A 10-meter-high white and red flag was also unrolled on the square next to the monument, and later the demonstrators carried it along the streets of the city. And they shouted, “We are the fourth wave.”
Protesters: We are free people
– People from all over Poland came here. We are concerned not only with pandemic freedom, but also with economic freedom. We’ve had closed companies recently. We are also fighting for freedom of speech, one of the participants of the assembly, Andrzej Borek, told PAP.
And another, when asked about vaccinations, added: – We are free people and if there will be tests and Polish authorities, doctors, specialists – not Mr. Morawiecki – only specialists will approve that this is a drug for which they can take responsibility (…) then we will react in a different way as much as possible. As of today, we consider it an experiment.
Opponents of vaccination against COVID-19 passed through the streets of KatowicePAP / Andrzej Grygiel
There were “False Pandemic” badges in the crowd.
“Clot up”, “International protest against compulsory vaccinations. Let’s protect our children” – and such inscriptions could be seen on T-shirts. Some of the demonstrators wore T-shirts with the words “This is my covid passport”, illustrated with a straightened middle finger.
“The third dose will be as effective as the previous two,” it wrote on a cardboard box held by one of the men. Someone in a wheelchair pulled by a bicycle brought a coffin with the inscription “Here rests my life’s achievements”. “The government is killing. 75,000 health care paralysis, 1121 vaccine deaths,” was written on a banner stylized as signs placed on dangerous sections of roads.
Police about the march in Katowice
The manifestation ended after a few hours. Staff sergeant Łukasz Kloc from the Katowice city headquarters said that, according to estimates by the police and the City Hall, about 3,500 people took part in the march, and over 500 policemen secured it.
Police said the organizers of the march reported a total of seven assemblies. For the duration of the demonstration, some streets were closed, and the traffic was directed by policemen from the Katowice highway.
– In order to ensure the safety of the people who came to the march, numerous police forces were assigned to the service. The uniforms from the prevention and road traffic departments, criminals and policemen from the anti-conflict team took care of safety. Silesian policemen were also supported by colleagues from Lesser Poland and the Łódź Province – explained staff sergeant Kloc.
He said that the uniforms “reacted immediately to any situation that could create any threat and did not allow the escalation of conflicts”. “There were no incidents during the march,” added the policeman.
“Manifestation Against Lawlessness”
The march was organized by several organizations, one of them is the “Polska To Us – Sosnowiec” Association, which lists among its goals information activities, health promotion, promotion of physical culture, tourism, social education, promotion of culture, art, protection of traditional values and environmental protection .
During the press conference announcing the march, the organizers declared that they wanted to peacefully express their dissatisfaction with the government’s actions, “resist the tyranny that had been born over the past year and a half” and show that there are many people who share their views. As they stated, it was “a demonstration against lawlessness.”
The “Freedom March” went through the streets of KatowicePAP / Andrzej Grygiel
They don’t want to be called anti-vaccines
They are calling for an end to what they have termed “human and civil rights violations”, the segregation of the nation, and the presentation of medical and scientific evidence regarding vaccination against COVID-19, which “underpin such drastic, devastating decisions.” They questioned the legitimacy of introducing an epidemic in Poland, arguing that it leads to the destruction of the economy.
According to them, in Poland there is a segregation between those who can do more thanks to vaccinations and those who have not received the vaccine. In turn the vaccinations themselves are called “non-compulsory compulsion”. They also protest against restrictions that would apply to the unvaccinated. Such decisions have not yet been taken by the government.
The organizers also protest against calling them anti-vaccine cam. As they argued, they are in favor of the freedom of choice and reliable information that enables them to make the right decisions. They also stated that they do not support attacks on vaccination points.
The march passed through the streets of KatowiceGoogle Maps
Main photo source: PAP / Andrzej Grygiel