‘If they wish, they can starve’ – Polish minister mocks farmers occupying parliament as they go on hunger strike

Farmers staging a hunger strike protest in the Polish parliament "can starve if they like," as they "don’t have anything to do with agriculture," claims a minister in Poland's left-liberal government

One of the farmers protesting in the Polish Sejm, Mateusz Borowiak from the agriculture union Orka, during an interview by independent TV channel wPolsce (Source: TV wPolsce).
By Grzegorz Adamczyk
3 Min Read

A group of Polish farmers has been protesting inside the parliamentary building for a week now and is refusing to leave. They are demanding that the government block the EU’s Green Deal.

On Monday, the farmers announced that they have begun a hunger strike to put pressure on Prime Minister Donald Tusk to meet them. 

This led to a strong reaction from Deputy Agriculture Minister Michał Kołodziejczak from Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO). He told reporters that “this protest has no economic or substantive basis, it’s just political theater.”

He also suggested that they may have been encouraged to take their action by agents of foreign powers, but provided no evidence for that speculation. 

He dismissed the protest as being one involving just “a few people.” He added that “they can sleep and, if they wish, they can starve. This is totally out of proportion. It’s pure theater.”

Mateusz Borowiak from the agriculture union Orka interviewed by independent TV channel wPolsce rejected claims being made by Tusk and his allies that those protesting in the Polish parliament are not farmers.

“Look at our hands as evidence of our toil. Are they not the hands of a farmer? We’re farmers alright,” he said. 

Borowiak added that they did not want to stage a protest for show but wanted to meet the prime minister to talk in a setting that would be conducive to him, which is the parliament building. He acknowledged that Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski had met them but admitted that he was not able to change government policy himself and they need to see the “top man.”

He concluded his remarks by inviting any leading politicians from either the ruling majority or the opposition to spend a night with them in the parliament helping to solve the problems facing Polish farmers. 

The group of farmers was invited into the building by opposition Conservative (PiS) and Confederation party MPs, but they insist they are not staging a party political protest.

Last Thursday, the Polish government agreed to an aid package for farmers in response to the after-effects of the war’s impact on the food market. The package includes subsidies for most forms of grain production. 

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