Are the protests in Warsaw, Poland aimed at the World Economic Forum (WEF) government secretly running the country? No, that's not true: the protests were organized by the opposition party to rally support against the leading conservative Law and Justice (PiS) Party and to build momentum for the upcoming Polish elections.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by user @matrixyurydan on October 3, 2023. The caption reads:
Warsaw Poland, massive demonstration against the (WEF) government.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Oct 6 12:37:55 2023 UTC)
Opposition leader Donald Tusk said the march was the biggest in Warsaw's history. According to Reuters, Warsaw city authorities reported approximately one million protesters at the "March of a Million Hearts" rally in Warsaw, two weeks before the country's parliamentary election on October 15, 2023.
The leaders of Poland's opposition Civic Platform (Polish: Platforma Obywatelska, PO) party aimed to use the protest to gain momentum ahead of the election. Their objectives included regaining political control from the conservative Law and Justice (Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) party, which has held power since 2015, and addressing public concerns over rising living costs and the undermining of democratic balances.
The upcoming Polish election sets the nationalist PiS against the liberal, pro-Europe PO led by Tusk. The PiS has promoted a culturally right-leaning, nationalist, image, with opposition to the LGBTQ+ community and migrants. Recent political developments have been shaped by Poland's stringent anti-abortion legislation and a prior high court ruling that places Polish law above EU regulations. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski expressed hope that the October 1, 2023 gathering would signal a shift towards a more tolerant, diverse, European, and optimistic Poland.
The rally had nothing to do with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and no "WEF government" exists. Lead Stories has, on several occasions debunked conspiracy theories surrounding the organization and its leadership.
