In Warsaw, lawyers from various European countries have shown solidarity with the Polish judges this Saturday. Thousands of judges, lawyers and other citizens from around 20 European countries protested against the national conservative PiS government’s legal plans Polandthat could further restrict the independence of the judiciary.
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The participants in the demonstration announced as the “March of a Thousand Robes” moved through the city center from the Supreme Court to the Parliament building. According to the Polish judges’ association Iustitia, their protest was against government plans to “discipline” judges.
Opponents believe that the bill, which has not yet been finally adopted by Parliament, is intended to punish Polish judges who are critical of the government’s judicial reforms. The proposed law thus contradicts the principles of the European Union.
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Among other things, the bill provides that judges may face fines, downgrades, or dismissals in the future if they question the legality or decision-making power of another judge, court, or chamber. The PiS states that it wants to tackle corruption with the judicial reform.
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“We are here for the rule of law”
Numerous judges came to the demonstration in their black official robes. “We came here to support the Polish judges, but we are not politicians,” said John MacMenamin, judge at the Irish Supreme Court. “We are here for the rule of law, not for politics.”
SPD European politician recently warned of the effects of the law Katarina Barley insistently: “This is highly dramatic because it questions the foundations of the EU, namely the primacy of European law,” said the Vice-President of the European Parliament. The German Judge Association DRB asked the Polish parliament to stop the controversial draft law. “Representatives of the judges’ association are protesting today with their Polish colleagues against the overexploitation of the rule of law in Poland,” the DRB said in writing.
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