⁍ Protesters gathered in several dozen towns and cities in defiance of coronavirus restrictions.

---

⁍ The court ruling last Thursday fuelled an unprecedented backlash against the Roman Catholic Church in Poland.

---

⁍ After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will be banned in the case of foetal abnormalities.

---

⁍ It will be legal only in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the woman’s health.

---

– A near-total ban on abortion is set to go into effect in Poland on Thursday, and tens of thousands of protesters are hitting the streets for a fifth day to protest the ruling, which amounts to a near-total ban on abortion in the predominantly Catholic country. Reuters reports that protesters have blocked city streets in cars, on bicycles, and on foot, with protesters carrying banners reading “Enough” and “I want choice, not terror.” Police have used pepper spray and tear gas to separate protesters from far-right groups who broke through a police cordon separating them in front of a church in Warsaw. In the city of Wroclaw, abortion rights activists used flares. The court ruling last Thursday fueled an unprecedented backlash against the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, which is seen as having close links with the conservative nationalist Law and Justice government. It has also heightened criticism of PiS, which came to power five years ago on a promise to instil more traditional values. Crowds gathered again near the house of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski in an affluent Warsaw neighborhood, as police in vans with flashing lights kept them away and a helicopter hovered overhead. After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will be banned in the case of foetal abnormalities and will be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the woman’s health. Critics say the court has acted on behalf of the party, which has in the past stepped back from efforts to tighten abortion rules. PiS denies that.