Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Warsaw for one of the largest demonstrations in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989.
Most of the opposition parties called on their supporters to join the march against the nationalist Law and Justice party led by Jaroslav Kaczynski.
Among those attending were former Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former President Lech Walesa.
The Law and Justice Party condemned the rally, calling it a “hate march”.
The Warsaw Mayor’s Office estimates half a million people attended the event, which marked the 34th anniversary of Poland’s first partially empty elections.
Many traveled from all over the country to participate, and simultaneous demonstrations were held in other Polish cities such as Kraków.
A variety of issues brought the protests together, including frustration with inflation, the cost of living, and women’s and LGBT rights.
Concerns have also been raised against a new law accused of undermining democracy in Poland.
The law, criticized by the European Union and the United States, creates a commission to investigate undue Russian influence in Polish politics, and has the power to ban people from holding public office for 10 years.
The government denies it is subverting democracy and President Andrzej Duda has proposed amendments to remove these powers.
But critics say it can still be used against people, including Tusk – Poland’s main opposition leader and head of the centrist Civic Platform party.
His opponents say this could also strengthen the Law and Justice Party’s position in this year’s parliamentary elections.
The protest was attended by former President Lech Walesa (left) and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk (right).
Crowds of people were filmed waving Polish and European Union flags and carrying banners, and participants told the BBC that the demonstrators were chanting “democracy” and “we will win”.
“I came here to defend democracy because I can’t bear how our parliament and the Constitutional Court are being destroyed and the size of the European Union is shrinking,” one of the demonstrators told Reuters news agency.
Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, also welcomed supporters during the “record” rally.
“Democracy is dying in silence,” Mr. Tusk said, “but you raised your voice for democracy today. The silence is over. We’ll scream.”
Wojciech Przybylski, editor of Visegrad Insight, told the BBC that these protests show that Polish opposition groups can unite around common issues, despite their political differences.
He adds that Law and Justice is still leading in opinion polls, and “this will mobilize them, because they know the opposition is real.”
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