ART.protest.ART
Polish Protest Art in Berlin
Anna Krenz
As an artist but also as a founder and member of the Polish feminist collective, Dziewuchy Berlin, I have been co/organising protests, held speeches and applied art in our activist presence in Berlin. Polish women, also Polish migrant women, have shown, that they are not just victims of the system, but fighters for freedom, democracy and women's rights, beyond borders.
A TIMELINE.
Black Protest: Polish Women's Strike
3.10.2016
After the Polish government announced its intention to ban abortion, a massive civil feminist movement emerged, both in Poland and abroad, under the name Dziewuchy (Gals). In September 2016, this widespread anger and energy culminated in a women's strike in Poland and large-scale demonstrations known as the "Black Protest" (3.10.2016). In Berlin, we felt the same outrage—a critical emotional mass that transcended borders—and we knew we had to act. Polish Women's Strike was inspired by the strike organised by women in Iceland in 1975. The idea of a women's strike spread quickly all over the world - from Poland to Korea, South America and other countries and continents.
On October 3, 2016, Black Monday - Polish Women on Strike - became the peak of the Black Protest campaign. It was a nationwide women's strike in Poland, a grassroots, nonpartisan movement that united women and men of all ages, professions, and backgrounds. The Black Protest was an unprecedented phenomenon, mobilising thousands of people across the country and abroad in a remarkably short time. Social media played a vital role in amplifying the movement, and the sheer scale of the collective response reflected the dire situation facing women in Poland. The Black Protest, which had gone viral under the hashtag #BlackProtest, originated in Poland, with the leftist party RAZEM playing a key role in its development. It quickly spread across borders, uniting people around a shared theme.
Black Monday was a warning strike of all women in Poland. During the daylong absent strike, they took a day off at work, universities and schools, they left their housework at home. The strike was a collective initiative, gathering women of different ages, occupation and life experiences. The strike came in response to a critical situation in Poland. Recently, famous Polish actress, Krystyna Janda, posted on social media the idea of organising a national strike based on the one from Iceland, which took place in 1975.
In Berlin, three of us spontaneously organised a Black Protest, not a strike. Within just one week, we arranged a demonstration that drew around 2,000 participants—an event that many still vividly remember. The protest featured speeches by activists, members of the feminist group Ciocia Basia, and the author Margarete Stokowski. The band Two Times Twice premiered, and their song "Woman Scorned" became our unofficial anthem. The crowd was diverse, with women, men, and children from Polish, German, and international backgrounds all coming together. It was a turning point—the largest Polish-led demonstration in Berlin to date. The Black Protest highlighted the power of Polish women and marked the beginning of a new wave of international solidarity.
Initially, we planned to hold the protest at Warschauer Brücke, but when interest surged to around 2,000 participants, we had to find a larger venue. Living nearby, I thought of the stairs connecting the S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations. The spatial design struck me as a natural stage, and this idea became the foundation for the event. Inspired by the location in Berlin, I approached the demonstration as a performative event, turning it into a spectacle. We became the directors, the speakers and musicians were the performers, the stairs served as our theatrical stage, and the black-clad crowd became the scenography. The program of speeches and live music served as the script, culminating in a positive and empowering finale. The only splash of color amidst the sea of black was my red-and-white banner, crafted from a lace curtain to resemble the Polish flag. This banner later became my artistic trademark, symbolising the intersection of art and activism.
Black Protest, 3.10.2016, Berlin | Photos: Maciej Soja / Soja Photography
International Women's Day
8.3.2017
After the success of the Polish Women's Strike, an international women's strike group was formed
Since the beginning of 2017, we have already been operating in a permanent group formation. Preparations for the International Women’s Day started early. Every year there have been two big marches in Berlin – Frauen*kampftag and Alliance of Internationalist Feminists. Unfortunately, because of ideological differences, the marches take different routes. In 2017, we managed to accomplish almost a miracle – to make both marches meet in one place – at our Polish protest in Oranienplatz (organised in solidarity with the Irish from Berlin-Ireland Pro-Choice Solidarity). In the following years, there have been many more different demonstrations on the 8th of March, decentralising celebrations and protests and allowing for “protest-hopping”.
Black umbrella became the symbol of Polish feminist protests after Black Monday - on October 3rd, 2016, it was heavily raining in Warsaw and the world saw a sea of umbrellas during mass demonstrations.
Black Protest, 3.10.2016, Berlin | Photos: Maciej Soja / Soja Photography