Polish Jewish leader heads protest against new parliament

Krzysztof Izdebski ‘disappointed’ over lack of transparency in changes to country’s Constitutional Tribunal

Krzysztof Izdebski of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, January 21, 2015. (screenshot: YouTube)
Krzysztof Izdebski of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, January 21, 2015. (screenshot: YouTube)

WARSAW – The president of the council of the Polish Jewish umbrella organization led a civil protest against the new government in Poland.

Krzysztof Izdebski of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland organized the demonstration Thursday in front of the Polish parliament building in Warsaw along with Jacob Gornicki of the ePanstw, or eState, Foundation over the lack of transparency in making changes to the Constitutional Tribunal.

Last week, the parliament, known as the Sejm, revoked a law passed several years earlier governing how to elect the five judges of the tribunal without prior discussion with the opposition.

“We are disappointed by the Sejm,” Izdebski and Gornicki said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Another protest is scheduled for Wednesday.

“We want a transparent and comprehensible state,” said Izdebski, the interia.pl news website reported. “We are opposed to the mode in which the Parliament makes decisions about the state system. Therefore, as citizens, we are here.”

The council directs the umbrella group’s activities.

Most Popular
read more: