In an attempt to write a piece on the powerful attempts of liberals to spread awareness of the alarming political situation in Poland, I stumbled upon distraught articles by European journalists that were frightened for the future of Poland’s education system. Poland is simply failing to teach citizens anything other than the beliefs of the Law and Justice party, which is not only worrying for Liberals, but for Poland’s future in the EU. A statement made by the minister of education released in May of 2021 stated that the EU is an “unlawful entity” and was “treating Poland like a colony.” Czernek pledged to fight this “dictatorship of left liberal views” which is incredibly frightening for the future of the Polish education and the political literacy of its citizens.

Social Media

How do Polish citizens stand a chance at establishing a politically literate population? Polish society is being moulded to believing whatever the government chooses to promote. Poland’s political bias is being called out on social media platforms, which has proven to be a powerful tool for liberals to spread awareness on the human rights issues taking place in Poland. A video on paedophilia within the Polish church went viral and caused a massive upstir towards the teachings of the Polish church. In 2020, a petition signed by over 170 academics from institutions such as Harvard and Oxford called for an international boycott of the appointment of Education Minister Czernek. The petition eventually achieved 100,000 signatures and whilst this is only a small example of online activism, the petition shows the willingness of others to contribute to raising awareness of the political injustice they believe Poland is facing. This tool faces a threat though, as more social media platforms are being restricted by the Polish government, along with the free speech rights of Polish citizens. 

European Responsibility

This mission doesn’t stop with Polish citizens. Although Polish citizens continue to lose access to some important platforms, the rest of the world can keep up to speed, and they are forming their own opinions. Poland is still a European member state, which holds them to certain responsibilities, such as upholding the constitutional rights of their citizens. Whether they choose to abide by them or not of of course a different question. The Law and Justice party may act invincible, but political pressure from other member states will always be a powerful statement.  As democratic backsliding largely threatens the legitimacy of the EU and its principles, it is crucial that the EU focuses on education schemes to promote political education, especially in countries facing such threats.